Finding My Way Back to You
by Joss17
Summary: Bella and Edward's love was passionate but was hurting each other. Bella leaves only to return 4 years later with a boyfriend and to find Edward engaged. What will they do to be together and will they survive the pain that comes with it? All human.
1. Homebound

**Welcome to my new fanfic. I had this idea rolling around in my head that I needed to get out so this is what you get. Now, I had originally five chapters posted but I wasn't really pleased with them so I went and got myself a beta. Let me tell you she is amazing. If you haven't read her stories then you need to they are romance and fluff and all that good stuff. **

**A huge thanks to my beta MadeleineJade! She made my writing actually readable. Now nothing major has changed so don't worry about that for those of you who had this on review or alert I hope you stick with me. Please review and let me know how you like the improvement.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight but I do own a Twilight calender that is hanging on my wall. The first thing I see is Rob's beautiful face. Isn't that a great thing to wake up to? **

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_It is so easy to see, dysfunction between you and me._

_We must free up these tired souls, before the sadness kills us both._

_I tried, and tried to let you know. I love you but I'm letting go..._

_It hurts but it may be the only way._

_Nothing Last Forever by Maroon 5_

"_Now boarding flight 917 to Seattle Washington."_

My stomach suddenly did flips and I squeezed Sean's hand tighter. I looked over to see him staring at me with a grin on his face.

"You need to calm down, Bella. Everything will be fine." He rubbed circles on the back of my hand trying to soothe me.

What was I worried about anyway? I was only going back to Forks where I abandoned my best friends and left my boyfriend. No big deal right? Except I was going back with my new boyfriend, Sean, and I hadn't told anyone I was bringing him but Alice and Rosalie. No one else knew about him since Alice and Rose were the only two I actually talked to on a semi-regular basis, and I hadn't even gone back to visit my dad since I attended college, and I felt tremendously guilty about that, but the town held too many memories--good and bad--that I didn't want to face once I had left.

Sean stood up, taking my hand and pulling me up from my seat as he did so. He also grabbed my bag carrying it for me. We boarded the plane and took our seats. I sat by the window leaving him in the middle. I pressed my forehead against the cold glass, closing my eyes tightly and taking deep breaths trying to ease the nerves. As I sat, I couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling that was at pit of my stomach. Why was I going back to Forks? I left that place to get some space from everything there, well one person to be exact.

Edward.

Thinking his name used to send me crawling in a deep black hole, cutting off all sorts of communication to the real world. Now I could honestly say that hearing or thinking his name didn't faze me, at least not like it used to. He was my first boyfriend, my best friend, and I loved him. We grew up together and began dating during our freshman year in high school.

It was the best and worst four years of my life. How could it be both? Even when we were just friends we'd fight a lot, and when we began dating it only seemed to get worse. We'd argue and yell at just about everything. It was the best because no matter how much we argued, he was mine and no one else could stake a claim on him. He was my best friend; he was my everything. And, to me that was what made all the difference between the good and the bad.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me stay. I still remember that night I told him I was leaving.

We had been fighting…again. Over what? I couldn't even remember, but I was sure it was something stupid. It seemed we fought just to fight, like it was our thing. Perhaps we fought just so we could make up. And were we ever good at making up. Still, I recognized how dysfunctional this relationship was. As much as I loved him, I had to leave. I felt like I was losing myself in this on-again-off-again routine. It had taken its toll I guess.

"Look, Edward I need a break. We can't go on like this. _I_can't go on like this. I'm going crazy and I'm so sick of fighting with you! I just don't want to fight anymore," I tried to explain. I thought he'd agree, since he knew just as well as I did how toxic we could be for each other. But his face fell and looked completely helpless. It nearly broke my resolve.

"Just like that you're done. Letting go so easily?"

I wanted to stroke his face and wipe away the sadness from his eyes.

"It's not easy, okay?" He had to know this was killing me standing here, slowly breaking in two.

"Yeah right. I bet you screamed for joy when you found you're acceptance letter to University of Arizona," he accused angrily.

Sadness dripped from my voice. "That's not fair."

He only seemed to get louder. "No, what's not fair is you giving up. Let me ask you something. Did you even love me or was it all a lie?"

My breath hitched and anger flowed through my veins. Before I knew it my hand flew right across Edward's face with a loud smack.

He looked at me completely shocked.

"How dare you accuse me of not loving you! You know that's bullshit," I spat as tears blurred my vision as they flowed down my cheek.

His face fell and looked completely torn.

Once I calmed down I said, "Look at me."

He kept his face down and I stepped closer to him placing my hand on his cheek. He sighed and leaned his face into my hand.

Softly I whispered, "Look at me. Please."

His face slowly met mine. His green eyes were filled with moisture as they penetrated mine. A new pool of tears welled in my eyes as I saw him like this.

As I spoke, my voice cracked. "I love you so much, but, Edward, look at us. How could I concentrate on school when I'm on edge all the time? This isn't right what we're doing to each other. I'm sorry, but, I have to do this. I don't want to, but I _have_ to. And, it hurts, GOD it really hurts-"

I was cut off when Edward crashed his lips into mine. They forcefully moved against mine, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck grabbing a hold of his hair. There was so much passion and anguish in that kiss. Our tongues danced together moving with fever.

I moaned as his hands roamed my body, going under my shirt. Where ever his fingers brushed against it left a burning sensation. I extracted my hands from his hair and took off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt and quickly removed it.

He broke the kiss and yanked my shirt right off and resumed the hungry kiss. Soon we were in our underwear, and he laid me down on his bed. Then we were, skin to skin. I tried my best to memorize every inch of him, his face, the greenness of his eyes, and his perfect chiseled jaw. My fingers roamed his body memorizing the feel of his skin, and my ears listened to his soft velvet voice as he moaned my name.

I dug my nails in his back waiting for the fire to die down. Both us were heavily breathing as he pulled me against his chest. He began to hum my lullaby, rubbing my arm like he did most nights to get me to sleep, but I wouldn't allow myself to sleep tonight. He fell asleep before me, and I memorized the feel of his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

This was what it was like to make up with Edward. We loved just as passionately as we fought.

I stayed awake for most of the night, only getting about two to three hours of sleep. My finger tips slowly traced his lazy patterns across his body. I was gentle so I wouldn't wake him. I looked up and through Edward's window I watched the sun rise. I drew in a deep breath and turned to look at Edward's face. His eyes were closed and a small smile played across his face. My hand brushed through his messy bronze, silky hair. I looked over at his night stand and found the alarm clock.

5:30am.

Knowing it was almost time for me to catch my plane; I gently removed myself from Edward's arms and headed to the bathroom for a shower. I turned the water on and made sure it was steaming hot as I climbed in. I let myself cry in the shower, violent sobs ripped from my body and I tried to keep it as quiet as I could. I stepped out of the shower and changed into my clothes. After I dried my hair and pulled it to a messy ponytail I sat down by Edward and watched him sleep. He began to stir in the bed and started to mumble incoherently.

Then he said something that came clear as crystal, and I bit my lip to keep the sobs from escaping my lips.

"Bella, don't leave. I love you." His voice sounded distraught and it tore up a piece in my heart. I was causing him all this pain. _Don't worry I'll be gone soon and you'll find someone who deserves you_. _Someone who doesn't make you hurt like I do,_ I thought to myself.

I carefully kissed his forehead, his nose, and lastly his lips.

"I'm sorry. You deserve better than me. I love you…forever." The pool of tears finally spilled over. I tried to wipe them off but they just kept falling.

Without looking back, I walked out the door. I walked out his life and headed for the airport as my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Looking back now I remembered wishing he'd come after me and tell me to come back home where I belonged, but he never did. I waited days, weeks, months and he never showed. I guess I didn't blame him. I wouldn't come after me after what I did either.

My first year in Arizona was a blur, I tried to remember, but it was all fuzzy. I didn't remember much seeing as how I could hardly function properly. I was completely broken, lost, and trapped in a black hole.

I did what I had to. I went to school, ate, and did my homework. I didn't bother to go to any parties, and I didn't have many friends. I never allowed myself to open up to anybody. In the mornings I'd go for a cup of coffee before class. After class I'd take my laptop and go to a café near my dorm and read or did homework until it was closing time. It was my normal, everyday routine.

Now the manager of this small café was Sean, but in the state that I was in I never noticed him. What I do remember was he'd take my order and make conversation. I only had one word answers, but that never discouraged him from trying again the next day. One day after his shift was over he walked over to me with a cup in his hand and sat across from me in the booth. He started to stutter and shift uncomfortably and the next thing I knew, he asked me out. What took me by surprise was not his question but my answer. I said yes. Yes.

It left my lips without my realizing it. I guess my subconscious was looking for a friend, for someone to help me escape the black hole that had sucked me deep inside. I had convinced myself that I was irreparable, damaged goods, as is.

I was a complete wreck the day of our date. I had no idea what to wear or what to say. My roommate was nice and offered me help, choosing my outfit, fixing my hair and doing my makeup. When I heard a knock on that door I was just about ready to make my roommate tell him I was sick. But I knew I had to do this; I needed to do this for myself.

Sean was a true gentleman; he opened the car door for me and took me out for a small picnic. I was amazed someone would go through all this trouble for me. Once the conversation started it didn't seem to stop. It surprised me how easy all this was.

For some odd reason, I felt like I was cheating on Edward, that I was being unfaithful. But how could I be unfaithful when I was the one who broke things off? We hadn't even bothered to stay in touch after I left. Perhaps a clean break was something we both had needed after all.

Like I said, he never called, wrote, or emailed, and I stayed quiet thinking Edward may have already found someone. The thought alone nearly brought me to tears. I left, but I still loved him. Perhaps the right time for us wasn't in high school. Perhaps after we had both lived separately and gained some life experience and perspective, things would be different between us. But did I have the guts to make the initial phone call?

Sean was watching me and he seemed to know I was broken. He asked me who had left me heartbroken, and I lost it. I began to cry and the tears never seemed to stop. Sean held me tightly never leaving my side, and I've been in his arms ever since.

Sean was tall and svelte, and also tan from our four years in Arizona. He had hazel eyes and short blond hair. He was smart, sensitive, and really understanding. Really understanding. He was moving back with me in Seattle because I received a job at the Seattle Times as a journalist.

Sean was a photographer and wanted to try and showcase his work so he could open a studio. We'd be living in a spacious two bedroom apartment, equipped with a big kitchen and living room that Alice and Jasper helped me find. It was pretty easy since they also lived in the same apartment building. Rosalie and Emmett lived in the apartment complex in front of ours, and as I understood it, Edward lived on their building as well.

This was going to be interesting.

I suddenly felt someone shake me and heard Sean softly whisper, "Bella we're here."

I groaned stretching my arms above my head. I guess I must've fallen asleep. We got off the plane and went to retrieve out luggage.

"Now remember, my friends are a little…different." I said trying to find the right word to describe them. I had already told him about all of them, including Edward, but in my nervous state, I found it necessary to remind him.

"Especially Alice…."

"She's a pixie with so much energy, kind of like the energizer bunny. Rosalie is a little more reserved and seems a little bitchy at first but she's nice under her tough exterior," Sean finished for me chuckling. Yes, I had told him about them a few times I guess.

"Right," I smiled.

I found my luggage on the conveyor belt and headed towards it. "Now don't be intimidated by Emmett, he may seem really huge but…"

"He's really an undercover teddy bear," Sean finished for me once again. His tone had an undercurrent of boredom. Was he mocking me?

"And, no need to worry about Jasper, he's totally chill and down to earth. Yes, Bella, I already know this, but thanks for reminding me, but honestly Bella, you keep warning me about your friends. They seriously can't be as scary as you make them out to be," he said clearly not believing a word I'd said before.

I raised my hands in defeat. "Alright but don't say I didn't warn you." He had it coming, wasn't my fault he didn't believe me. He just smiled, shaking his head as we went outside to hail a taxi.

Once our bags were safely in the trunk, Sean and I sat in the back seats of the taxi. As nervous as I was, I couldn't contain my excitement to see my friends again. I kept dancing around like I my pants were full of ants. Sean kept giving me a warning glance to sit still, but I just couldn't control myself.

"Would you sit still, you'll see them in a little bit," Sean laughed, clearly amused by his crazy girlfriend.

"Are we there yet?" I asked like a small petulant child, sticking my lip out into a pout.

Sean wrapped his arm around me, grabbing a hold of my hands. "If you don't stop that I'll have to resort to tickling you."

I looked up at his face and narrowed my eyes at him. He wouldn't. And in the most menacing voice I could muster up I said, "You wouldn't dare."

He lifted his hand. "Watch me."

I shook my head vigorously, grabbing his hands and holding them tight to my chest. "No, no I'll be good I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He smiled and kissed my lips.

Under my breath I mumbled, "Party pooper."

He didn't hear me and just kept me wrapped in his arms. I looked out the window and saw all the trees and the normal darkened sky, but I couldn't have been happier to be here.

I was smiling so big my face began to hurt. My patience was beginning to wear off when I suddenly saw four people standing outside the apartment complex. I didn't have to think twice, knowing who was standing outside waiting for me.

"Oh my god, they're here!" I removed Sean's arm from me and opened the taxi door, dashing out before it fully came to a stop. Just before I reached them, Alice and Rosalie ran towards me knocking me down to the ground.

"I missed you guys too!" I teased them as we rolled on the ground laughing.

"Bella I can't believe you're here! Oh my god we have to go shopping!" Leave it to Alice to bring up shopping at a time like this. I squeezed them as tight as I could and wouldn't let them go.

Next thing I knew, I was being lifted in the air and into a bone crushing hug. A booming voice said, "Stop hogging Bella. I missed her too." Oh, Emmett.

With all my strength, I hugged him back as tightly as I could. "You big bear, I missed you and your hugs."

"Belly, I missed you too!" Emmett swung me around, and I threw my head back, laughing.

Then I heard a calm voice say, "What am I chopped liver?"

I turned my head to see Jasper off to the side, feigning hurt. I squirmed out of Emmett's arms and ran towards Jasper.

"I'm sorry, Jazz! I missed you and your chillness." Jasper laughed as he picked up and spun me around.

"It's good to have you home, Bella." Jasper said with sincerity.

Once Jasper set me down did I remember that I left Sean in the taxi by himself. Oh whoops. I turned and saw him standing with our luggage chuckling silently. I walked towards him and pulled him by his arm towards my friends. I saw Alice and Rosalie with giant grins on their faces while Emmett and Jasper just looked confused. I guess the girls didn't tell their men about Sean.

"Everyone, I want you to meet Sean, my boyfriend." I said and heard Alice let out a little squeal. "Sean, these are my friends, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper."

"It's really nice to meet all of-" He was interrupted by Alice's loud squeals and she ran to him nearly knocking him to the ground with her over exuberant hug. I laughed at his face that said _'how the hell did she get here so fast_.' I only shook my head and smiled. It wasn't easy explaining Alice to people. She was just so Alice.

"Oh my god, it's nice to meet you. I'm Alice, her best friend. Bella, he is so much cuter than you led me to believe." And so the embarrassment began.

Rosalie shook her head pushing Alice aside. "Ignore the pixie, she doesn't get out much. We're afraid she'll scare the children away." This resulted in a violent punch from Alice. Now she may have been small, but I was sure that punch really hurt.

"Damn it, Alice, you know that's going to leave a bruise." Rosalie rubbed her arm.

"Well every time you look at it remember not to call me a pixie," Alice shot back.

While they still bickered I noticed Emmett and Jasper staring, no, it was more like glaring, at Sean. They must have been assessing his character or whatever the hell guys looked for. I nudged Emmett and Jasper with my elbow. "Guys, quit it."

Sean looked at them questioningly.

"Emmett Cullen. This here is Jasper Hale. We're Bella's brothers if you will. Now we're both protective of her and if you hurt her we'll have to hurt you," Emmett said in a threatening voice while Jasper nodded his head in agreement. I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes. It really did mean a lot to me that Emmett and Jasper would do anything to protect me.

"You don't need to worry about that. I would never hurt Bella. She's safe with me," Sean said looking directly into their eyes and never backing down. Emmett and Jasper's glare slowly turned into a small smile, clearly pleased with his answer. They nodded and shared some guy code through them.

Boys were so strange.

I looked up lovingly at Sean. I knew I had nothing to worry about. They'd love him.

Alice and Rosalie were still bickering and glaring at each other so I suggested we all go inside before they tear each other apart. Plus, it was getting cold and I was shivering. I had forgotten what the weather was like in the Pacific Northwest. "Let's go inside I'm cold."

Jasper and Emmett helped Sean with the luggage. Alice, Rosalie and I left the boys to do the heavy lifting and went inside to talk.

Sitting on the couch with my legs propped up against Rosalie's lap, Alice said, "Oh, Bella I forgot, Esme is having a special dinner for your homecoming."

I felt my heart well up. This sounded like something Esme would do. "Aw, she really didn't need to do that."

"You know my mom; she always loved you like her own daughter." Suddenly a look of worry flashed across Alice and Rosalie's faces.

Confused by their sudden mood change, I asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah but Edward will be at the dinner too," Rosalie said looking at me with an apologetic expression. This was the reason for the mood change. I should've known Edward would be brought up eventually.

I looked at them both, not showing any signs of sadness. "And, he is still your brother and Esme's son isn't he."

"Yeah but-"Alice began but I cut her off before she had a chance to explain.

"You guys, I'm fine. I have Sean. And, I know I'm bound to run into him sooner or later what with our living so closely to each other, so I might as well get it over with," I said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Are you sure?" Rosalie asked clearly not believing me.

I plastered on a smile on face. "Of course I'm sure."

I could see in their faces they weren't really convinced but thankfully they changed the subject. This wasn't a topic I wanted to delve into at the moment anyway. To be honest I wasn't sure I even believed it myself. I was nervous knowing only a short distance separated us. _Just don't think about it_, I kept repeating in my head.

All too soon they all had to leave. "Well I'll be by later so I can help you get ready. I finally have Bella-Barbie back!" Before I could protest, Alice left in a blur. Damn that pixie.

I buried my hands in my face. This wasn't going to end well. Sean came to my side and wrapped me in his arms. "Ugh, she loves playing Barbie with me. It's horrible," I explained.

"Bella-Barbie now that's something I want to see." I smacked him in the arm and turned my head from him. He laughed and only pulled me tighter to him.

"Trust me, you don't. There's yelling involved and clothes being thrown. It's not pretty," I said.

He laughed and kissed the top of my head. Then he asked, "So these are the people you grew up with?"

"Yup, the very ones. I told you they were crazy didn't I? But, did you listen to me. No."

"Yeah I thought you exaggerated, but that Alice, she's a wild one." I laughed remembering how she attacked him with a hug earlier. His face was priceless. "So, Bella or shall I call you Belly?"

I gasped, forgetting Emmett called me that earlier. "Nope you can't call me that. The only person allowed to call me that is Emmett. It's this weird thing we started back in high school."

"Right, well, Bella what's the dinner Alice was talking about?"

"Alice and Emmett's parents, Carlisle and Esme, are having a homecoming dinner for me. And, I get to show you off to them. That's if you'll be willing to be my date." I batted my lashes and pressed my hands against his chest.

His lips crashed into mine moving gently against them. I pulled away for a second pretending to be unaffected. "If you don't want to do it, that's fine. I'm sure I can find another date."

He shut me up with another kiss before I pulled away again. "Sean, all you have to say is you don't want to go," I said toying with him.

"Shh." Then he lifted me off the couch, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He took me to the bedroom where we spent a couple hours Christening the new apartment.

Like Alice had promised, she came over to the apartment around five but she didn't have any clothes or bags of makeup with her. I hoped she didn't think that I had makeup or things of the sort. She knew me better than that.

"Alright you guys ready to go?"Alice asked.

"You're letting me dress myself?!" I asked excitedly, albeit incredulously. This would have been unprecedented.

"No, we are going to my parents' right now and we'll both get ready over there. There's going to be traffic later and I don't want to be late." I made a face. I should have known better than to think Alice would actually let me dress myself. What a ludicrous thought.

Sean looked at her curiously. "I don't think they'll be traffic around that time."

I turned and looked at him. "Never bet against Alice, she's psychic," I said as though that explained everything. Alice and I giggled at his expression, and then he walked out the room leaving us two together.

We waited for Rosalie to come over because apparently the three of us were getting ready at the Cullen house. When she finally came over, we sat on the couch waiting for the guys to get ready. Great, they got to get dressed here and without any consultation from Alice or Rose. Lucky.

Now, personally I didn't need much time to get ready. Being a low maintenance girl, I just put on comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, but no. Alice and Rosalie wouldn't even wear sweat pants to sleep. They needed to look cute no matter where they were.

Finally, we took Emmett's Jeep to Forks. The truck was huge, and I had to climb to get up there with help of a lift from Sean. Again I shook with excitement. I couldn't wait to see Esme and Carlisle. They were the coolest parents out there. I always loved coming to the Cullen house. They both were like my second set of parents.

The hour-long drive seemed to take forever, but we finally made it. Walking up the drive way I got butterflies in my stomach. I wondered if Edward was here yet. Alice being Alice made a production opening the front door.

"Mom, Dad, I give you the one the only Bella Swan!" I burst through the door laughing and dragging Sean with me.

"Bella!" Esme gushed giving me a warm welcoming hug. "How are you, my dear?"

"I'm great. The house looks lovely as usual," I complimented. Looking around, everything still seemed the same as it was. Impeccable and perfectly decorated.

"Thank you, dear."

Carlisle came up to give me a hug next. "It's good to have you here, Bella."

"Thanks, its good being back. I missed you all!" I said looking at everyone. I noticed Edward still hadn't arrived. I wondered if he decided not to come after all, _he probably doesn't want to see me,_ I thought glumly.

"Who is this young gentleman?" Esme asked staring at Sean.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Esme, Carlisle I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Sean," I said.

"It's nice to meet you both Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Bella talks fondly of you both." Sean shook both their hands.

"Pleasure and call me Carlisle." Carlisle's face seemed a little sad for some reason. I tried not to think much of it.

"Bella, you never told us you had a boyfriend. Where have you been hiding him? It's nice to meet you dear, and call me Esme." Esme seemed genuine, but like Carlisle there was something a little off.

"Stop monopolizing Bella, we need to get ready!" Alice said rushing towards my side.

"Oh Alice, where are your manners?" Esme scolded her. "Well pleasure to meet you but I really should get back and get dinner ready." She disappeared in the kitchen, taking Carlisle with her.

I turned to Sean. "Are you sure you'll be okay here with Emmett and Jazz?"

"I'll be fine."

"I just feel bad letting you fend for yourself," I said hoping they wouldn't embarrass him…or me.

He kissed my lips. "Don't worry about me. Now go."

"You heard the man. Let's go. Beauty waits for no one. Rosalie, vamoose!" Then Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs. I turned to Sean and mouthed 'help me' but, all he did was smile and wave. I stuck my tongue out at him. What a caring boyfriend he was.

We went into Alice's old room, and she started looking for outfits with Rosalie while I sat on the bed. "Any chance I get a say in what I'm going to wear?"

"Hush, you. You will wear what we give you, and you'll love it," Alice said. Rosalie and Alice whispered amongst each other and finally made their decision. "Here you go. This is what you'll be wearing."

At least it wasn't a short dress.

Rosalie handed me my outfit, which I had to admit I loved. It wasn't anything over the top but very classy. Alice did my make up for me not adding too much since, because according to her and Rose, I had natural beauty. Which was ridiculous because I was a rag doll compared to them both.

Alice and Rosalie both looked at me and smiles formed on their faces. "Perfect," they both said. I rolled my eyes and walked to a mirror, gasping at what I saw. I wasn't perfect in comparison to Alice or Rosalie, but I looked hot if I did say so myself. They seemed pretty pleased with my reaction and their faces filled with smug smiles.

I coughed. "It's all right," I said shrugging my shoulders, trying to be as breezy about it as possible.

They laughed moving around the room to get ready themselves. "Oh please, you know you love it. Seriously, Bella, what would you do without us?"

"I guess I'd be looking like a hobo," I answered. "You two are miracle workers."

We three high-fived and then I waited for them while they got ready themselves. I was reading one of Alice's old gossip magazines. I needed time to cool down and relax because I was still in silent freak-out mode. I was no more than a flight of stairs from Edward.

There went my stomach doing flips again.

_I don't love him anymore. I have Sean, and I love Sean_.

But, even though I loved Sean, I still couldn't help but wonder what Edward had been up to. Had he ever thought of me? How would he react when he saw me? Did he still look the same? I groaned internally. All of these questions were driving me crazy. I was about ready to climb out that window and run. I would've too if I weren't afraid I'd break my neck.

_Just breathe._

Alice came from behind me and scared me. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But, are you ready to head down."

_Let me see. No!_

"Yeah, I'm ready," I said shakily.

I let them both go down the stairs first. I heard Emmett say something like, "_Damn, Rose, you look hot_."

I took in a deep breath and controlled my emotions before I began to hyperventilate. I stood at the top of the stairs and saw everyone waiting for me to get down.

Oh great I didn't want them watching me. I envisioned myself taking a misstep and then rolling down the stairs probably taking out the lot of them once I reached the bottom of the stairs.

Soon my fears all melted as soon as I saw him standing there. I knew those green eyes anywhere, and they were staring right into mine.

Edward.

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**Isn't it so much better with a beta? A cliff hanger for those who have never read this. Please review and let me know how you like this. Review!**

**The titles for my stories will be based on a song. This chapter is called 'Nothing Last Forever' by 'Maroon 5'. Amazing song. I will make a playlist of all the songs I'll use and put the link on my profile, so go check it out.**

**Please Review!**


	2. Awkward Dinners and Surprises

**Chapter two beta-ed and perfected. I hope you're all still sticking with me. Thank you for all the comments, alerts and all that good stuff. **

**Huge thanks to MadeleineJade, the best**** beta out there. She truly is amazing. **

**Nothing really left to say except read it and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I do own the Twilight DVD which I'm ashamed to say I watch religiously. **

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_These feelings won't go away._

_They be knocking me sideways,_

_They be knocking me out babe._

_Whenever you come around me._

_I keep thinking in a moment that_

_Time will take them away._

_These feelings won't go away._

_Sideways by Citizen Cope_

I looked at him, walking slowly and carefully down the stairs. I tried to decipher his expression. Was he regretting coming here? Did he want to bolt and run out the door? Yell at me? Tell me I wasn't welcome?

My heart beat faster with each step I took. I quickly looked for Sean and found him staring intently at me. He had the cutest smile that showed off his dimples, and my worry and anxiety disappeared. I took in a long breath of relief.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, Sean came over to my side and embraced me tenderly. He whispered in my ear, "You look beautiful."

I turned red at his words and thanked him. I looked up to Edward staring at me with those green eyes causing my heart to beat erratically. I let go of Sean's hand and walked over to Edward. It was as if a magnetic pull was dragging me towards him.

Finally, we were face to face.

I could feel my friends' stares burning a hole in the back of my head. I turned toward them, placed my hand on my hips, and glared at them. At the same time Edward turned to them, crossing his arms across his chest, with a look on his face that said, "Mind your own fucking business."

Laughing, they turned their heads away and pretended to talk to each other while leaning in closer to try to hear our conversation. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Edward. We stood facing each other, not really knowing what to do or say to each other. I was at a loss and played with my hands as I tried to think of the right thing to say. The little voice in the back of my head said, "How about hello?" Right, just say hello.

"Hello, Edward," I said feeling slightly stupid for sounding so formal.

"Hello, Bella," he responded.

"You look good," I said taking in his appearance.

He really did look good. He was older but still showed signs of the 17-year-old boy I used to know. His jaw was more defined and his face was scruffy, clearly not having time to shave before coming here tonight. And it looked like he had grown an inch or two. What stayed the same were his messy bronze hair, green eyes, and his dazzling crooked smile.

His eyes roamed up and down my body and made their way to my eyes, "Like-wise."

Without really thinking, I wrapped my arms around him, and enveloped him in a hug. He seemed surprised at first but he relaxed his posture and wrapped his arms around me. A rush passed through me, and I tried my best to ignore it.

As we pulled apart his face held a smile, which I was sure mirrored mine. Edward's eyes flickered over to Sean who had a solemn look on his face, staring down Edward. I knew they'd have to meet eventually so I might as well just get this over with. I pulled Edward by the hand and steered him towards Sean.

"Sean, I want you to meet Edward, Alice and Emmett's brother." I looked up to Edward. "Edward, this is my… boyfriend, Sean." I could feel the tension building up.

As much as I loved Esme and Carlisle, I couldn't wait to get out of here.

Sean knew about Edward as well as the history we shared so I told Sean to behave himself at dinner. He had no reason to hate Edward. It was I who ended the relationship. If anything Edward should hate me.

Esme entered the room at the perfect time. "Kids, dinner is ready."

I smiled at Edward, took Sean's hand and walked over to the dining room as everyone trailed behind us. To my discomfort, I sat right across Edward and immediately knew this was going to be awkward. When his eyes met mine, I blushed and quickly looked away. Thankfully Emmett came in asking us what we'd like to drink.

"Cosmo," Rosalie, Alice and I said at the same time.

We looked at each other and broke into a fit of laughter.

Smiling, Emmett said, "Cosmos it is."

While Emmett made our drinks, Esme and Carlisle came out of the kitchen and set down the tray of food. I smelled the food and closed my eyes savoring the rich smells. Ah, how I'd missed her cooking. Emmett brought me my drink and sat down.

"Oh my, Esme, this smells so good," I said taking in another sniff.

"Aw, thank you, dear," she said with a smile.

Alice raised her glass in the air. "I would like to propose a toast to the homecoming of Bella, and to welcome Sean."

I smiled widely as Sean took my hand in his, "Cheers."

"Cheers." Everyone raised their glasses. My glass touched Edward's last and as we took a sip of our drinks, we kept eye contact.

_What are you thinking Edward?_

After I set the glass down, I immediately filled my plate with all kinds of food. I grabbed two pieces of bread and smothered them with butter. Just one bite of her homemade bread and I could hear the hallelujah choruses.

We made small talk, catching up on everyone's lives. Rosalie and Emmett had great news. Apparently they were getting married!

"Oh my god!" I gushed as Rosalie showed me her engagement ring. It was beautiful, a diamond in the middle along with two princess cut side stones, and it had eight channel-set princess cut diamonds around the platinum ring. It screamed Rosalie.

They had just begun planning their wedding and were planning on having it in May, which was only seven months away. I was truly happy for them. No other two people deserved to be as happy as they did.

"Hello, everyone," a woman's voice called out. Who else was joining us?

Confused, I looked at the door and there stood a young woman. She was thin, and average height. She was beautiful; she had short curly light brown hair that hung just above her shoulders. Her eyes were big and hazel and were covered by thick long lashes. She looked very professional, dressed in a skirt and green button up shirt and heels.

"Sorry I'm late. There was so much traffic," she said walking into the dining room.

I remembered earlier when Sean didn't believe Alice when she said that there would be traffic. Sean looked over at Alice, awestruck. When she made eye contact with me we began laughing at our little inside joke.

The woman stopped in the middle of the room. "Did I say something?" We merely shook our heads, still unable to answer.

She resumed walking with a confused look on her face. As she walked toward the table, everyone had an uncomfortable look on their face, I suddenly noticed. They actually look scared, or worried, and they were all looking at me.

I wish they'd stop doing that. It was rather unsettling. I wondered why, but I didn't have to wait long for my answer.

What happened next nearly stopped my heart. It truly felt as though someone punched me right in the stomach and left me on the floor in pain. She walked over to Edward and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and sat next to him. My eyes nearly popped out of their eye sockets. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair and I took a large gulp of my Cosmo and breathed deeply through my nose. The most awkward silence passed through the room.

So this was what Alice and Rosalie tried to warn me about. God, Bella, why didn't you listen?I wasn't sure what to feel. Edward was looking at me, no doubt trying to figure out what I was thinking. I was sure shock was evident on my face. I looked over at Alice and she was giving me an apologetic smile. Edward's eyes flickered towards mine, but I turned away not wanting to look at him.

Well he has a girlfriend. A brand new relationship. _So do you_, that voice in my head called out to me.

"Wow, Esme, this looks really good," the woman said, clearly oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation.

She glanced at me and smiled. "Is this the famous Bella everyone is talking about?"

At her question everyone seemed to gain their speaking skills back.

"Oh my goodness. How rude of us. This in fact is Bella and her boyfriend, Sean," Esme paused slightly looking at me with sadness; her eyes flickered over to Edward. "Bella, this is Alex, Edward's fiancée."

My head shot up faster than a speeding bullet. As she said those words, the world stopped. All motion ceased and my eyes roamed over to her ring finger. There it was, a diamond ring, hanging off her perfectly manicured hand.

_Holy shit._

I started choking on the piece of bread I took a bite of. I quickly downed the rest of my drink.

"Are you all right?" Sean asked patting my back.

_Was __I __all right? __Was that a trick question?_

"Yeah, I'm fine. The bread just went the wrong tube, I guess." I took Sean's glass of water taking another huge gulp. "So, fiancée, congratulations."

_Engaged? He's getting married?!_

Alex smiled grabbing a hold of Edward's hand, looking at him with love and adoration. "Thank you."

I wanted to gag right then and there. Edward's hesitant eyes looked up at me, trying to read me. I mustered up the most convincing smile I could. I didn't know if he could tell it was forced, but his eyebrows knitted together and something, what looked to be sadness, filled his eyes. I was sure this wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

I picked up my fork, but then quickly set it down seeing as how I had lost all my appetite.

Alex was truly oblivious to the proverbial elephant in the room. She filled her plate and began to eat. She knew who I was, right? Edward must've told her. I was not sure she did though because why would she be so nice?

I felt so stupid. Here I was wondering if he'd ever thought of me. Of course not, he was with Alex. My heart beat so fast, I was afraid I would have cardiac arrest. I shut my eyes tight and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and saw that no one besides Alex and Emmett was eating.

"Bella, where are you going to live?" Carlisle asked, clearly not comfortable with this silence.

"Sean and I will be living in the same apartment building as Alice and Jasper," I answered.

Carlisle nodded, not knowing how to keep the conversation flowing. I didn't blame him.

"Sean, what will you be doing?" Esme asked politely.

"I'm a photographer. I'm just trying to get my work out there and try to showcase my work," Sean said.

"That's interesting. What type of photos do you take?" Esme asked, clearly interested.

"I'm playing around a lot. I take candid, nature and landscape," he said before taking a small bite off his plate.

I kept my eye nonchalantly on Edward while Sean spoke. He seemed intrigued in Sean's answers, but I wasn't sure if it was out of genuine interest or not.

Another awkward silence passed through us. I began to feel a little queasy. I just picked up my fork and began picking at my food. At least I was doing something rather than staring blankly.

Sean leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Are you all right? You're not eating."

I looked up at his face, which clearly showed concern for me. "I'm fine, just saving some room for dessert."

At the word 'dessert' Alice, Esme, and Carlisle stood up. "I'll get the dessert," they three eagerly said. They looked at each other sat back down and laughed nervously. Shoot, I would have volunteered to get it as well if that meant getting out of the awkward silence and forced conversation.

"Wow, this must be some good dessert," Alex said brightly. We each looked at her calm face. Was she stupid or something? Did she really not feel the tension? The air in this room was so thick, I felt like I was suffocating.

Esme smiled and said decidedly, "I'll go get the dessert." She quickly rushed out of the room disappearing to the kitchen.

"I'll clear the plates," Carlisle said.

"No, Daddy, I can do it," Alice volunteered standing up

"No, sweetie, I've got it." Carlisle picked up our plates and quickly left. Alice slumped back in her seat and I could've sworn I heard Alice mumble, "Damn it. Just wasn't fast enough." I smiled knowing I wasn't the only one who wanted to get out of this room.

It was mostly silent the whole time while Esme was gone and Carlisle cleared the table. Jasper twirled his ice water. Rosalie tapped her fingers against the table. Emmett and Alice tried to make some small talk.

I wasn't sure if it was me or not, but when Esme and Carlisle came back to the room with dessert I heard everyone heave a sigh of relief. I scarfed down my tiramisu as fast as humanly possible to keep from having to speak. I believe we all did, save for Alex. It was too bad because that tiramisu was so delicious that I wanted to savor each bite. But, what I wanted more was to get the hell out of this room, this house. I needed to think…and sulk.

"Edward, we should get going I have to be at the office early tomorrow, we're expecting a new worker," Alex said, turning to Edward. I was so grateful. At least I wouldn't have to be watching them anymore tonight. Thank goodness for small miracles.

"Alright, well I guess we'll be leaving now." Edward stood immediately. "Sorry to leave so early."

He didn't seem sorry at all. I bit my lip to keep the smile from forming on my face.

"Yes, sorry everyone. Bella, it was nice meeting you. You too Sean, maybe we'll see each other soon," Alex said.

Not too soon I hoped.

Edward looked troubled for a minute. He turned to face me. "Bella…welcome home."

I could see clearly in his eyes that that wasn't what he wanted to say, but I had no idea what he really did want to say. What could he say? I managed a slight nod in acknowledgement as he grabbed Alex by the hand and walked out. I let out a huge breath as well as the rest of them.

"Bella, look I-"

"Well, let's get going shall we? I have to be up early," I cut off Alice, not wanting to hear what she or anybody had to say.

When I stood, Rosalie, Jasper and Sean quickly rose from their seats.

"Esme, Carlisle, thank you so much. This was really umm…lovely." I mean, what the hell could I say? Thanks for the socially awkward evening? Their intentions were kind; they didn't know how it would've turned out.

"Yes, well, it was good seeing you. Please come by whenever you can." I hugged them both, and Sean thanked them for their hospitality.

The six of us all nearly ran out the door. Once outside, we all stood staring into nothing but darkness. There we were, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, with blank expressions. The incandescent moon shone brightly above us. What a night.

Emmet broke the silence. "Well that was a nice dinner," he said patting his full and content stomach. We all turned to look at him incredulously.

Rosalie snapped, "What dinner were you at?" Then she briskly walked into the darkness heading for the car.

Emmett looked confused by Rosalie's attitude. He looked at us. "What? It was a nice dinner, a lot of good food."

We all shook our heads and quickly followed Rosalie. I heard Jasper mumble, "What an idiot." I smiled, Emmett could be a little…well he could be Emmett.

In the car, we sat silently. There was nothing to say. Well, I had nothing to say and they knew I didn't want to hear any of their explanations. We drove silently; all you could hear was everyone's breathing. I laid my head against Sean's shoulder and closed my eyes, and he wrapped his arms around me protectively. I wondered if he felt the awkwardness in the house as well.

We finally made it back and the guys all exited the car, leaving the girls inside. They both turned to look at me, concern written all over their faces.

I lifted my head towards them. "He's engaged?" I asked, though it sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

"Yeah, he is," Alice said so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Huh," was the only response I could come up with. I opened the car door and slammed it shut. After I said good night to Rosalie and Emmett, they drove off. Alice and I walked behind the guys, heading up to our apartment.

Alice stopped walking and pulled my hand back. She looked up at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Bella."

My eyebrows knitted together. "For what?"

"I should've warned you about Edward." She looked down at the floor.

"Alice, it wasn't your fault. You tried to tell me, I just didn't want to listen." I wrapped my arm around her small shoulders.

She looked up at me. "How do you feel?"

"Honestly?" She nodded her head. "I'm not sure. I don't think it's really sunk in yet."

"I understand. It was a shocking way to find out. Let me know if you want to talk okay?" she asked, and I nodded my assent. I didn't know if I did want to talk about it. I didn't right then anyway. "Well good-night," she said giving me a hug before walking off.

I walked into my apartment and shut the door, leaning back into the door and staying there for a minute to collect myself as I listened to Sean moving around in the bedroom… Reluctantly, I dragged my feet towards my bedroom. I saw Sean had already changed into his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

I quickly got ready for bed myself and then climbed into bed snuggling into the covers, my face facing Sean.

"Well tonight was…interesting," he joked.

"Yes, it was. Trust me, dinner with them has never been that awkward," I said fluffing my pillows.

He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "Are you okay? I mean you know with everything that went down tonight?"

I sighed. "I'm fine. No, seriously I am considering everything. I've moved on and so has he. It's for the best."

He nodded staying silent. He kissed my forehead. "Good-night, Bella. I love you."

I smiled. "Night. Love you too."

I couldn't get to sleep, though I really needed to, but I couldn't shut my brain off. I should've seen this coming. It's karma I tell you. Edward was engaged to another woman. It felt weird thinking it, let alone saying it aloud. I rolled around on my bed, tossing and turning and then finally facing the ceiling. I heard Sean's breathing becoming more rhythmic, telling me he was fast asleep.

He was engaged. Nope still sounded weird. I shouldn't have cared though. I had Sean, after all.

Still, I couldn't lie and say I didn't care. Of course I cared. I cared that he moved on so quickly. I moved on too, but you didn't see a ring on my finger. I shook my head in part to berate myself and partially to try to lose the stupid thoughts that were clearly keeping me up. I shouldn't care; I have no claim over him.

Not anymore.

At least that was what I was telling myself.

Shockingly, I could feel moisture in my eyes. No! I would not cry. I was done with the tears. He had his life and I had mine. I made the decision to leave and get away from him. That was the right thing to do.

I chanted it over and over. It was the right thing to do.

Wasn't it?

Then why did my heart ache? It wasn't a terrible ache, but it was there. I concentrated on squashing that stupid feeling, breathing in and out deeply.

The next thing I could recall was a noise coming from my alarm clock. I groaned turning around to shut it off. It was seven in the morning already? Morning came too soon, especially after such a restless night's sleep. Ugh. Perfect. I hated early. Note to self: must kill early. I shook my blanket off and grudgingly sat up and tried getting up from the bed.

I heard Sean twisting around in bed. "Bella, come back to bed." He quickly grabbed my arms and pulled me back, but I squirmed trying to escape.

Laughing, I said, "Sean, I have to go. It's my first day, and I don't want to be late. What if they start calling me the-new-girl-who-was-late-on-her-first-day?" I babbled suddenly worried they would call me that.

"Whoa is that is a mouthful? Now if anyone calls you that I will personally kick their ass," he said.

I put on a face of adoration. "Aww, you're full of it." He laughed and I quickly kissed him and made a run for it.

"Hey, you cheated," Sean pouted. I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him walking towards the bathroom.

I quickly took a shower and changed into my work appropriate clothes. I made sure I looked professional on my first day.

I had dreamed about becoming a journalist since forever, and here I was working for a big time newspaper. I was quite proud of myself.

I left the house saying good-bye to Sean and drove off to work.

I pulled in to the Seattle Time's building and parked inside. I walked inside and was mesmerized by the commotion and the rush. Everyone was doing something, talking, typing, and making coffee. Everything felt so refreshing.

I walked up to the front desk. "Hi my name is Isabella Swan. It's my first day here."

The lady smiled at me. "Ah, yes, hello, Ms. Swan, my name is Angela. Here's your card. You'll need it to enter the building. Now if you'll go into the conference room on the second floor, they'll be waiting for you."

She handed me my identification card and my reporter's pass. I thanked her and went to the elevator. I wandered through the second floor. I finally found the conference room and hesitantly walked into the room.

Inside was a man I recognized as the editor of the Seattle Times, who happened to have interviewed me. There were two others who I didn't recognize though.

I walked into the room and their eyes shot up at me. I blushed from embarrassment.

The editor came over and shook my hand, "Isabella, right?"

"Yes, but please call me Bella."

"Well, Bella, it's nice to have you on board. This is Jared Fisher and Nathan Reed. Now we're just waiting for one more person." I smiled and shook hands with the two guys. They gestured for me to sit down in the chair that I was standing in front of so I did.

Jared, Nathan and I began talking a little about what I would be doing and the kinds of projects they had brainstormed up. When we began talking about books and politics, I heard the door open behind me, and someone step inside.

"I am so, so sorry I'm late," a soft, yet frantic, voice said.

Odd. That voice sounded so familiar. My head remained down, but my jaw dropped infinitesimally. I was frozen for a moment. I refused to look up just yet, hoping this was all part of my overactive imagination. Please let this be my imagination. This woman isn't who I think it is. Please…please…_please_, I prayed.

"I swear we need to buy you an alarm clock so you can be on time for once," Nathan joked.

I heard her laugh. "I do have one it's just that my fiancé turns it off the minute it goes off and I end up falling asleep for another five minutes."

"Yeah, well tell Eddie that we're going to start calling you at six in the morning so you can get here on time," Jared said.

Hold on a minute. Did he just say Eddie?

I turned around to look at this woman and nearly had the wind blown out from me as my suspicion was confirmed. CRAP!

"Oh my goodness, Bella, is that you?" she asked with her soft voice.

"Hi, Alex. Yep. I work here now. What a coincidence, huh?" I asked, managing a small nervous smile while shock registered on my face, I was sure, as I looked right smack dab into Edward's fiancée's hazel eyes.

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**I've said this before, I had thought a lot about Edward/Bella reunion and I just didn't think that they'd yell at each other...yet. Alex is truly genuine and sweet so don't worry about her turning into some cold, snobby bitch. I think that Edward is smarter that to fall in love with a stupid, gold-digging whore, but that's just me. The way I picture Alex is on my profile. Ironically the actress' name is Alexis.**

**How was the reunion? The engagement rings are also on my profile, go check it out.**

**Please review and let me know you're liking the story. **


	3. The Mess I Made

**I give you chapter 3, an EPoV, all beta-ed and ready. Thank you all for sticking with me. And, thank you to all who commented and subscribed. **

**Again, thanks to MadeleineJade for being awesome and having mad beta skills. **

**Disclaimer: I am not SM, therefore Twilight does not belong to me. **

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_I 'm staring at the mess I made  
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away  
And it's falling down, as you walk away  
And it's on me now, as you go_

_The Mess I Made by Parachute_

**EPOV**

I never expected things to go the way they did. I had a plan of how I had wanted things in my life to go. But I guess things never turned out the way you planned, did they? I had recently received a call from Alice telling me we were having a welcome home dinner for Bella. Ever since that phone call, I'd been a mess.

I hadn't seen Bella since that unfortunate day four years ago. I knew my sister and Rosalie had managed to keep contact with Bella, but I never asked and they never told me about it. That day four years ago was the day my plans went down the toilet. Now that Bella was moving back, how on earth was I going to explain Alex to her? Alice told me she'd tell Bella for me before dinner, but I had a bad feeling about it.

How would Bella take the news? I doubted she'd care. I was the one who drove her away. It was my fault. Bella had been my best friend in elementary school and became my girlfriend freshman year in high school. We fought, we yelled, and we had problems, but who didn't? With her by my side, we always got through those problems. We could have gotten through anything.

We loved each other and that's all that mattered. Being the monster that I was, I drove her far away from me though. The night she told me she was leaving was the hardest night of my life. I half hoped when I awoke that I'd find her lying next to me and that she'd changed her mind and decided to stay with me. But, I wasn't good for her. We weren't good for each other, and somewhere deep inside I knew that. I was just too selfish and I wanted her with me no matter the cost.

I didn't remember much of what happened after a few weeks. My family constantly worried about me though. I knew Alice was sad too. Everyone was. Bella was a part of our family, and it hurt us when she left. But, for me, it was as if a part of me was ripped away when she left. Bella always deserved better than me. I always knew that, and I never understood why she'd wasted her time on me.

After she left I convinced myself that I was destined to be alone. That way I couldn't hurt anyone else. But, then I met Alex. Alex took me by surprise. She was beautiful, smart, and patient. I kept my distance from her at first. It didn't feel right thinking about someone else besides Bella. But I'd remembered that Bella didn't want me anymore, and she was better off.

No matter how many times I was rude or how many times I pushed Alex away, she'd always been there for me. I needed her; she was my anchor. And slowly, I fell in love with her. We dated and went through what I'd consider a normal courtship. So then I asked her to marry me. It was the next logical step, and she said yes. It wasn't like a fairytale or anything. I mean, that'd be unrealistic. Still, Alex made me happy. She didn't make me unhappy.

I wasn't planning on Bella ever coming back. When she left four years ago, I thought I'd never see her again, but now she was moving in the apartment complex in front of us, or so Alice told me. This had taken me by surprise, and I had been a complete mess since I found out.

My phone rang and the caller ID read Alex. "Hey, are you almost here?"

"No, I'm stuck in the office. I'm sorry, I know this is an important dinner, and I'll be there as soon as I can," Alex said.

"Would you like me to wait for you?" I asked.

"No, it's fine. I have my car so I'll just meet you there. I'm not sure how long this is going to take," she said with a sigh. I could hear in her voice. She was tired. She always worked too hard.

"Alright, I'll see you there," I said.

"Okay, bye. Love you."

"Love you too."

I dropped the phone on the counter and took a deep breath. I didn't want to go alone but I knew I'd have see Bella eventually. I hoped Alice told Bella about my engagement. I was too much of a coward to do it myself. I wondered how Bella would react. Would she be happy for me? Angry? Jealous? Even though I was happy with Alex, I had to admit that a small part of me hoped she'd be jealous. It was vengeful and immature for me to want that, but there it was and I couldn't deny it.

I had waited till the last possible moment I could, and I couldn't put off the inevitable anymore. Reluctantly, I stood and got dressed and drove to my parents' house before it got too late.

Driving through Forks brought back so many memories. Both good and bad. I drove by the entrance to the meadow and smiled to myself. The meadow was an important part of my past. It was the day I realized I had fallen in love with my best friend.

Bella had left for two weeks during our summer vacation to visit her mother in Phoenix. I hadn't realized how much my life had revolved around Bella. My sister was busy with Jasper and Emmett was preoccupied with Rosalie. I didn't want to be the third wheel so I left exploring one day and came across this beautiful meadow.

When Bella came back from Phoenix, I told her I wanted to show her something. I took her through the woods because I knew she was afraid of the woods.

"Edward, slow down!" she yelled. I turned and smiled at her, still walking a few paces ahead of her.

When she finally caught up to me, she hit my arm. "Edward, where are we going?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

She narrowed her chocolate eyes at me and pouted. Her lips were full and red and I had to force myself to look away.

"I hate you, Edward Anthony Cullen," she said to me with clenched teeth.

I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close to me. "God, Bella it's a surprise. Can you please, for the love of all that is holy, have some patience?"

"It's like you don't know me at all. When have I ever been patient?"

I laughed knowing this was true. Patience wasn't one of Bella's attributes. Bella was unique. She hated shopping, make-up, and presents. I didn't always understand her but that's what intrigued me about Bella. I never knew what she would do or say next.

She stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest. "Edward Cullen, I am not taking one more step until you tell me where we're going."

I rocked back on the heel of my foot, and placed my hands in my front pockets. "Nope, sorry can't do that."

"Look, we are far away enough. I don't think anyone will hear my screams. So if you've come to dispose of my body, here is the perfect place." Her eyes wandered around the forest.

I went up to her and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on her face and brushed it back behind her ear. I saw the color on her cheeks rise. God, how I loved it when she blushed.

I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Bella you are utterly absurd."

From the corner of my eye, I could see her blush get darker crimson. I smirked, bent down, scooped her up into my arms and continued on the hike. Her mouth hung open for a minute before it transformed into a deathly glare.

"Hey, you cheated!" she yelled at me, squirming under my arms trying to escape.

I just held on to her tighter to my chest. Finally, she stopped thrashing around and punched me hard on my chest.

Damn, that really hurt too.

"Oof. Bella, there is no need for violence." For a girl Bella hit hard.

"Bite me." She crossed her arms and stayed silent the whole way there.

She turned her face away from mine giving me the silent treatment. Once she sees the meadow she'll love it, I said to myself. I hope she does.

When I came across the meadow a few days prior, I remembered wishing Bella was there to see it with me.

We finally arrived but Bella was still not speaking to me. She was so cute when she was angry. Perhaps that was why we had fought so much.

"Bella we're here," I said and set her back down on her feet.

"Here, where? I don't know what you're talking-" She stopped talking as soon as her eyes took in the atmosphere. She was speechless as her eyes wandered everywhere.

She started walking around, taking in everything about the meadow. I looked at how adorable she was. Her lips pulled up into a small smile and she laughed. Her laugh was soft, like bells ringing. She turned to me and gave me a smile. My heart skipped a beat. She was so beautiful.

"Oh my god! This is so beautiful, how did you find this place?" she asked, amazement ringing in her voice.

"When you went to your mom's I was bored and thought I'd go exploring," I said.

She laughed, "Wow, your life is so dull without me. Honestly, what would you do without me? You'd probably die."

She was looking at me straight in the eyes. "Probably," I said sincerely.

We both smiled at each other. I lay on the grass and she lay next to me. Our heads faced each other. We just stared intently at each other. I leaned over and grabbed her hand in mine. We played with each other's hands, but still kept our eyes on each other.

These feelings had crept up on me. I got butterflies whenever she was around. I wondered if she felt the same way about me. I took a chance. I moved and hovered over her body, looking right into her eyes. My eyes looked at her luscious lips and I leaned in.

Her hand pressed against my chest. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes glancing over my lips.

"Would you shut up?" I told her as I gently pressed my lips to hers.

The kiss was slow and soft at first. I felt her hands run through my hair, making the hairs on my arm stand up. I held her face in my hands as I kissed her deeper. In that moment, I knew I never wanted to kiss anyone else but her.

We pulled apart and I looked at her waiting with bated breath for her reaction. She smiled before she pushed me away and sat up.

"What was that? You just can't go around kissing people!" she cried, her eyes wide and her breathing shallow.

"I'm not going around kissing people. I'm kissing you," I said.

She glared at me. "Don't be a smart ass."

I leaned in a little closer. "Besides you seemed to like it."

Her cheeks got darker and she started to stutter. "Tha-that's no-not the point."

I whispered in her ear, "Then what is your point?"

She looked right into my eyes and her eyes smoldered. "I have no idea."

She grabbed my face, pulled it towards her and attacked my lips. I immediately responded, wrapping my arms around her. For the rest of the afternoon Bella and I stayed with each other, enjoying each other's company. We watched the sun set. Everything was perfect being with my best friend.

I knew I shouldn't have been thinking about those memories. It was dangerous territory. I tried to put those thoughts in the back of my mind as I pulled up to my parents' house. I parked right behind Emmett's Jeep. Emmett never took his jeep unless he was driving more than four people. That meant that Bella was here too.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly until my knuckles were white.

Get it together, Edward.

I loosened my grip on the steering wheel and unbuckled my seat belt. I walked up the driveway shaking my hands, trying to get rid of the nerves. After a few deep breaths, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Emmett was the first person I saw. "Eddie! You came. Where's Alex?"

I flinched at the nickname Emmett insisted on calling me. "She had to work late, but she'll be here once she gets off." My eyes glanced around the room but I didn't see her.

"She's upstairs with Alice and Rosalie getting ready," Emmett said giving me a sad smile.

Clearly I wasn't as discreet as I hoped.

"Am I that obvious?" I asked him.

"No. I'm your brother, dude, I know you." We laughed and he gave me a pat on the back.

I looked up to see Jasper having a conversation with a guy I didn't recognize. They were laughing and talking and my eyebrows knitted together. Was this Jasper's friend from work? Before I had the chance to ask Emmet who the stranger was, Alice rushed down the stairs and tackled me in a hug.

"Hi, Alice, it's nice to see you too," I said with a smile. When I pulled back Alice had a sad smile.

"Edward, I need to talk to you," she said with urgency. "Look, I didn't tell Bella about you-know-what."

As I opened my mouth to yell at her she cut me off. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, okay. I tried to tell her but she didn't want to listen. Rosalie tried too, but Bella wouldn't give us a chance to get it out."

Bella probably wanted nothing to do with me. I was sure she didn't want to come tonight and see me.

"Look, don't worry. Everything will be fine." Then she quickly kissed my cheek and ran back upstairs.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. She didn't know. God, she'd find out during dinner. As if being here wasn't awkward enough.

A few minutes later Alice and Rosalie descended from the stairs. I could see a shadow behind the stairs and knew it was Bella. She never did like attention.

So many questions flowed through my mind. Was she still the same girl I knew? Did she hate me? Would she hate me when she found out about Alex? I felt like running out of there, but I was sure my mother wouldn't appreciate that.

Soon all the worries were melted when I saw those chocolate brown eyes. She looked right at me and it sent shivers down my spine. She walked slowly down the stairs carefully looking down. Knowing her she'd trip and tumble down the stairs.

Her eyes left mine and went to the strange guy. He had on the biggest smile and walked toward her. He pulled her into a hug whispered something in her ear causing Bella to blush.

What the hell?

She unwrapped herself from him and turned towards me. My heart beat faster with each step she took towards me. Finally, she was right in front of me like I'd always imagined. I could hear everyone stopped talking and felt their eyes on us. I glared at them telling them to mind their business. She turned and looked at me. She blushed as she awkwardly played with her hands.

"Hello, Edward," she said her voice soft just like I remembered.

I smiled noticing her cheeks go red. "Hello, Bella."

"You look good," she said looking up and down my body.

I looked at her. She looked just like I remembered her only older and clearly more mature. She looked amazing. I knew it wasn't Bella's idea to dress up like this. It was never her thing, but she still looked fantastic. Her mahogany hair was longer now, her lips were fuller and her chocolate eyes sparkled.

"Like-wise."

Then I felt Bella's arms wrap around my waist pulling me close. I stiffened for a few seconds before I wrapped my arms around her small waist. I inhaled her sweet scent and recognized her strawberry shampoo she loved so much. When she released me her face held a smile that I'm sure resembled mine.

Bella grabbed my hand and I ignored the shock that went through me as she pulled me towards the stranger. Then she proceeded to introduce him as her boyfriend.

Holy shit. I guess it's safe to say that he was not Jasper's co-worker.

My body stiffened. He was tall but not taller than me with blonde hair hazel eyes and really tan. Clearly she met this guy in Arizona. I wondered how long they had been together. It must be serious for him to be here with her. I wondered if he moved here too. A strange feeling came over me. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. Was it regret? Maybe jealousy? Possibly both? Thankfully, my mother came in the room and announced that dinner was ready, bringing me out of my internal musings.

Bella left hand in hand with Sean or whatever his name was. Alice gave me a squeeze in my arm as comfort as she walked by me. I walked in and sat down at a random seat. Unfortunately, it was right in front Bella. Slightly, awkward? Absolutely.

I looked into her eyes but she looked away when Emmett asked her what she wanted to drink. She liked Cosmos. Just like Alice and Rosalie.

Mom and Dad came out with the food and set it on the table. Alice gave out a toast to Bella's homecoming. When my glass touched Bella's we locked eyes as we took a sip from our drinks.

What are you thinking Bella?

We ate and made small talk. Rosalie and Emmett shared their good news about their engagement. Bella gave Rose a hug and grabbed her finger looking at her ring. For some reason, I doubted she'd be this excited to hear about my engagement.

They were talking about wedding plans and girl stuff when I heard Alex come in.

She announced herself and Bella looked over at the doorway in confusion. My heart immediately went into frenzy. I took in a huge gulp of my drink to try to calm my nerves.

Alex looked good in her work clothes. Exhaustion was clearly written over her face but she hid it with a smile.

She said there was traffic and then Alice, Bella, and her boyfriend laughed at a private joke. I carefully watch Bella's face as Alex came to my side and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. Her eyes bugged out and she glanced over to Alice and Rosalie, who were looking at her with apologetic faces.

Bella, you don't even know the half of it yet.

Alex sat down next to me and started to talk about work and grabbed a plate of food. She glanced over at Bella and asked if this is was Bella, the one everyone talked about.

I'd never told Alex about Bella. She knew about my relationship with a girl and everything we went through. She just didn't know that the girl was Bella. I didn't want her to know it was her because everyone loved Bella and she held a place with us in this house. Alice didn't want Alex to think bad things about her.

My mom first introduced Bella and her boyfriend to Alex, probably trying to avoid the next introduction. She shot me a glance before she introduced Alex as my fiancée. I looked over at Bella and she was frozen, just as was everyone else. Her head shot up and her eyes glazed over when she spied the ring on Alex's finger.

I couldn't be sure if it had anything to do with the news of my engagement, but Bella started to choke on the piece of bread she was eating earlier. She quickly drank the rest of her Cosmo and grabbed some water. Once she recovered, Bella congratulated Alex and me. Alex grabbed my hand and thanked her.

This was not what I expected. She was congratulating me? I was shocked, but then realized what other reaction would a person have? What the hell did I expect her to say? No don't marry her. You can't. I still love you. Yeah, that would have played out nicely. I was such an idiot. I tried to look at her closely to really gage her reaction, but she wouldn't meet my eyes.

The most uncomfortable silence passed through the room. Everyone but Emmett and Alex stopped eating. Nothing could ever faze Emmett because he was…special. And, Alex didn't know the whole story.

The rest of dinner was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Even my parents wanted to run out of there, all but shoving each other so they could get out of the room faster than the other. No one was that eager to get dessert, no matter how good it was.

After dessert, Alex said she had to leave early because of work tomorrow.

Oh, thank god.

I immediately stood and apologized for leaving early. I looked over at Bella to see her holding back a smile. She knew I wasn't sorry one bit. Anyone in his right mind would have wanted to escape the awkwardness that was my family dinner that night.

Just before I left, I looked over at Bella wanting to say something to her, but I couldn't exactly say it. I've missed you a lot. Glad you're here. I hate the fact that you've started a life without me.

No. Too extreme.

I settled for the more appropriate response.

"Bella…welcome home." Then I quickly grabbed Alex by the hand and ran out the door. Since we arrived in separate cars we met up at home.

I changed into my boxers and t-shirt and laid in bed. Alex was still taking off her make-up and changing to her pajamas.

As she did that she talked about Bella. "She's lovely. I can see why you all love her. She and her boyfriend make the cutest couple don't they?"

I didn't answer. I didn't want to agree with Alex, but I had to admit, thinking back on the evening, Bella and Sean looked..._okay_together. I would begrudge them that. But then Bella had that effect on everyone. She made everything better.

Finally, Alex came out from the bathroom. "I bet you're glad she's back." I stayed silent. She stopped and looked at me. "Are you all right? You were quiet all through dinner."

"I'm just tired." I rubbed my eyes and fluffed my pillow.

Alex climbed into bed and cuddled to my side. She looked at me with a worried expression. "You know I hate it when you lie to me."

What could I tell her? Bella is the girl that left me broken so I am just having a slight mental breakdown?

"Alex, I promise you I'm fine. I'll feel better with some sleep," I said as convincingly as possible.

She looked at me for a little longer. "All right, if you say so." She kissed me quickly and turned off the light. She fluffed her pillow and fell asleep before me.

I put my hands behind my neck and stared at the ceiling. There is no way I am getting any sleep tonight, I thought. I looked over at Alex and watched her sleep. She looked so calm and peaceful. I loved her so much and I wanted to make her my wife. But, this feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn't leave me alone.

Bella had moved on so quickly. It had only been four years. She found someone that wouldn't hurt her like I did. Someone to treat her right and love her the way she should be loved. Someone who wasn't me.

I was being so hypocritical. I could fall in love and get engaged but she couldn't? That wasn't fair and I knew it.

I just wanted all the awkwardness and weirdness to end, but I still wondered why she had to move back here with boyfriend? But then, did it matter? She's back now with him, and I'd found someone as well.

At least knowing now that she had moved on with her life, I could move on with mine and start a life with Alex.

Couldn't I?

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**There it is, a little insight on Edward. How'd you like it? Drop me a line and let me know. **


	4. HeartShaped Glass

**We're back to BPOV in chapter four that has been beta-ed by the amazing MadeleineJade. So a big thanks to her for making this readable. Thank you for all your reviews and welcome new readers. Nothing much to say, so, go on and read this chapter and leave me a review telling me what you think. **

**Discla****imer: I own nada. Twilight is not mine nor will it ever be mine.**

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_I have a problem that I cannot explain..._

_I, I know, how I feel when I'm around you._

_I, don't know, how I feel when I'm around you._

_Around you._

_Roulette by System of a Down_

_Previously_

"_Oh my goodness, Bella, is that you?" she asked with her soft voice._

"_Hi, Alex. Yep. I work here now. What a coincidence, huh?" I asked, managing a small nervous smile while shock registered on my face, I was sure, as I looked right smack dab into Edward's fiancée's hazel eyes._

"It is a coincidence, isn't it?" she said letting out a small chuckle.

All I could do was nod like an idiot with a smile plastered on my face. This had to be a mistake. It just had to be.

"Hold on. You two know each other?" Jared asked looking back and forth at us.

Alex nodded, "This is, Bella, my fiancé's best friend. She's known his family since they were children."

I surprised myself by flinching when she said, "My fiancé's best friend." I wouldn't call us _best_ friends, at least not anymore.

"This is great. Now we can get to know each other," Alex said enthusiastically.

I smiled as convincingly as possible. "Yeah, this is great."

"Well, let's get started," the editor said.

For about an hour they went over things we covered in our department. We did everything from opinions and book reviews to arts and entertainment features. Jared and Nathan both welcomed me and I got right to work. Alex stuck around and showed me my desk.

"This here is your desk. Now if you need anything, my desk is right over in the corner. Just call me over and I'll be here." With that she walked off with a smile to her desk.

I finally let out a huge breath that felt like I'd held since I first saw her face. I slammed my head against the desk, closing my eyes shut.

I'm dreaming. I'm _dreaming_.

I pinched my shoulder to see if I was.

Ow.

Okay, so I wasn't dreaming.

I drew out one last breath and turned my computer on trying to get my mind distracted.

The day dragged on and on, it seemed. When it was finally 3:45, I was told to go home.

_Yes_.

I quickly packed my bag, pushed in my chair and walked out, but before I could leave a voice stopped me. _Of course._I cringed internally.

"Bella, wait!" Alex called me. Reluctantly, I stopped and waited for her to catch up to me. "Come on. I'll walk you out."

"Oh, okay," I said and we walked silently outside to the parking lots. I should have run and pretended not to have heard her, but that would have been rude. It wasn't like me to do something along those lines, but I was willing to do anything to avoid her.

"How was your first day here?"Alex asked.

"Um, it was great. Just what I hoped it would be," I said. Except the part where I work in same level as my ex-boyfriend's fiancée.

"I'm glad. Look, I'm heading home but if you'd like, you can come over so we can talk and get to know each other," she said looking up at me hopefully.

I shook my head, "Oh, no I couldn't impose like that."

She waved her hand, "Nonsense, Edward isn't home so it'll just be us two."

"I-I don't know," I said awkwardly pulling on a string of my hair.

She grabbed my arm and slightly squeezed it. "Please? It would mean a lot to me."

_God. What do I do?_

I looked at her sweet, round face and those big hazel eyes silently begging.

Ah shit. I was such a sucker.

I blew out a shaky breath, "Sure, I would love to."

She let go of my arm and gave me a bright smile, "Thank you. Trust me it will be great."

We both got into our cars and I followed her to her apartment. The whole way there I just wanted to turn the steering wheel the opposite direction and just run away, but I couldn't. I parked the car and forced my body to get out and walk up into her place. A place she shared with Edward. I tried not the let that bother me.

She opened the door and ushered me inside. She dropped her bag and keys on the table by the door.

"Now, make yourself at home, and I'll be back with some tea," she said and she headed off to the kitchen.

I looked around the apartment. It was a decent place to live comfortably for two people. A few paintings on the cream colored walls. I walked over to a table backed up against the wall and found a few photographs there.

One was of Edward and the rest of his family. Another was of Alex on a swing with a smile on her face and her eyes slightly closed giving a serene kind of feel. The picture that caught my eye and was surprised to see here was a picture that had been taken six years ago. It was a picture Esme and Carlisle took when we all were at the beach during our junior year in high school.

Edward's arms were around my waist and he was kissing my cheek. My eyes were closed tightly with a huge smile on my face. Alice had her arms around Jasper with her head tilted back because she was giggling as Jasper's lips brushed up against her cheek. Rosalie had her red Ray Ban glasses on with her hands on her hips. Her lips puckered up as Emmett was leaning in kissing her cheek.

I wondered why the picture was even displayed. Did Alex not ask why Edward's arms were around me or why he was kissing my cheek? It looked a little more than the run of the mill friendship pose, but maybe that was just me. I guess she must've assumed that since Edward and I were so close, it was second nature to hold each other. Or perhaps Alex was as clueless as she appeared to be. I mean, she was nice enough...just clueless.

Next to this picture was a small glass stone in the shape of a heart. I gasped slightly remembering that I found this rock that same day at the beach. I couldn't believe Edward kept this. And why would it be here? I would have expected the minute I left, he'd grab all my stuff and dump it into the nearest trash can. I picked it up and gently brushed my fingertips over it. I could still remember that day as clearly as though it was yesterday.

It was our junior year in high school and it was the last day of spring break. We had all decided to go the beach. We had already eaten and played a few games of touch football, and then we changed into our bathing suits and headed into the ocean. The water had been ice cold but I managed to still get deep enough till the water rose to my waist. Edward was being a baby and had just his feet in the water.

"Edward, get your ass in here!" I yelled at Edward who was taking his sweet time getting in the water.

Rosalie and I were huddled together and we splashed water at each other while Alice and Jasper were off in their own little world. I was growing tired waiting for Edward to come in and Emmett decided to head back and eat another hot dog.

Once Emmett was done eating his food I saw him running towards us. He removed his shirt, threw it by his towel and jumped in yelling, "Timber!"

As he plunged into the water he splashed Rosalie and me. "Emmett!" we both yelled at him. I shook my hair and turned to see Edward slowly making his way to me.

"Aww, is wittle Edward afwaid of the water?" I cooed at him like a baby.

Edward scowled at me, lifting his hand to flip me the bird. I stuck my tongue out at him, crossing my arms over my chest. And after what had seemed like forever, he stood right in front of me. His hands were shaking, his jaw kept chattering, and his lips had turned blue.

An idea occurred to me as I wrapped my arms around his neck. A wicked smile formed on my lips.

He laid his hands on my hips. "Bella, what's that look for?"

I smiled innocently and batted my lashes. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

He removed his hands from my hips and slowly began to back away from me. "Bella I don't like that look. You better-"

I didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence as I leaped at him bringing him down underwater with me. Once I resurfaced, I saw our friends laughing at us. Edward gasped for air, his teeth chattering even harder.

Edward's body was shaking. "B-Bella yo-you are s-so-so, de-dead."

I couldn't respond. Rosalie, Alice and I lean against each other and we laughed. After the guys were done laughing at him, Edward called them in and they began whispering amongst themselves. Finally, they walked toward us with suspicious looks on their faces.

I didn't like this one bit. Rosalie, Alice and I cuddled a little closer to each other while taking a few steps away from them.

"Jasper, stop looking at me like that," Alice warned him.

I turned towards Edward to see him walking up to me with that stupid smirk of his. I gave him a glare that said 'you wouldn't dare.' "Edward, don't even think about it."

Rosalie threatened Emmett, "I swear, Emmett, I'll kick your ass if you even think about it."

The guys showed no signs of backing off, so Alice grabbed Rosalie's hand and mine and screamed, "Run!"

You didn't need to tell me twice.

The three of us took off and ran as fast as we could through the waves, laughing the whole way. Guys being guys, they were naturally just a tad faster than us. When they finally reached us, they picked us up and lifted us above their heads.

"Ah! No stop!" we yelled.

Edward spun me above his head and I had gotten extremely dizzy. The three us screamed at the guys and ordered them to put us down.

"Edward, put me down, now!"

"As you wish," Edward said and dropped me in the water. Well, more like he threw me in the water.

I was violently coughing, as were Rosalie and Alice. It seemed our wonderful boyfriends liked throwing us in the water.

"Eat dirt, Edward," I yelled at him.

"You're so going get it!" Alice sneered at Jasper.

"You are so not getting any for a week!" Rosalie told Emmett, and I could swear I had heard Emmett let out a girlish cry.

"Yeah!" Alice and I agreed with Rosalie.

The three of us, with arms linked, walked back to shore together, ignoring the three idiots who trailed behind us whining and complaining, trying to get us to change our minds. We really weren't going to punish them but it was just fun seeing them suffer. We reached our spot, and I grabbed my towel to dry myself off. A slow smile appeared on my face as I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist.

Chills went down my spine as his velvet voice tickled my ear. "Come on, Bella, it was only a joke."

I looked over to see Alice and Rosalie in the same predicament. I huffed in fake anger and turned my head, afraid that if I looked him in the eye, I'd give in.

"Technically you dunked me in first, so you did owe me," he said as he placed a soft kiss at the nape of my neck.

I squeezed the towel in my hands as tightly as I could and tried to control my emotions. I could feel his smile against my skin.

"Cutting me off for one whole week is a little…cruel," he mumbled against my skin.

My hormones went haywire and I knew I had no way of winning this round. Just the sound of his voice and I was nothing but soft putty in his hands. He decided to be evil by brushing his hands across my stomach, just below my navel, silently teasing me. I was on fire. My fingers ached as I tried to squeeze the towel tighter.

"Could you let me off with a warning? I promise I'll behave-" I didn't let him finish because I could not take anymore.

I threw the towel to the ground, turned my body so it was facing his, and wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him close as I crashed my lips to his. The world around me disappeared. It was just him and me. Unfortunately, our so-called friends wanted to make their presence known.

"God, Bella, control your damn hormones! Don't give in," Rosalie cried.

With my lips being a little busy, I lifted my right hand and flipped her off to tell her how I felt. I heard them all laugh.

Soon we all changed out of our wet bathing suits and into dry clothes. Each couple left to wander the beach by themselves. Edward and I walked hand in hand to the far end of the beach.

We stood at edge of the beach and found a little area where there were all sorts of rocks. The sun was still up and the heat felt good against my skin. Edward laid a blanket on the sand for us to sit on. He wrapped his arms around me as I rested my head against his chest.

We sat there together watching the horizon. We didn't say anything to each other; we didn't need to. Just by being there with him, watching the sunset was enough for the both of us.

I blew out a long breath. "I don't want this day to end," I whined.

He squeezed me tighter, planting a soft kiss on the back my head. "Me either."

I began to play with the sand, letting it fall through my fingers. Something buried deep in the sand caught my eye as the sun shone on it, giving out a brilliant shine. I removed Edward's hands and crawled toward the lustrous object.

I picked it up and went to kneel in front of Edward. I opened my hand out for the both us to see it. It was a small glass stone in the shape of a heart. It was the most beautiful stone I'd ever seen. I looked up at Edward to see him smiling at the little object in my hand.

"It's a heart," I said lifting it up. "It's my heart. It belongs to you." I grabbed his hand and placed the glass heart in the center of his palm.

He looked up at me with love and adoration. "It's safe with me."

"Good, because if you lose it, I'll kick your ass," I joked.

He glared at me before leaning in for a soft kiss. A moment later we heard Esme and Carlisle calling us back. It was time to go home. We picked up the blanket and ran back to where everyone one was waiting for us. Just before we packed our belongings Esme pulled out the camera and took some more pictures.

"Come on kids, let me get a picture of the six of you," Esme said pulling us close together.

Just as Esme pressed the picture, Edward grabbed my waist planting a huge kiss on my cheek. It took me completely by surprised that I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of his lips, and the biggest grin stretched across my face.

It was the perfect day, and it was a great way to end our spring break. I absently played with the little heart-shaped glass stone and realized I had a smile on my face. My hand froze and I shook the smile off. The stone was still in my hand when I heard someone sticking the key in the door knob and opening the door and this time my whole body froze.

It was Edward. He looked up and stopped when he saw me standing in his apartment. I doubted this was what he was expecting, coming home to find his ex-girlfriend standing in his house.

"Hi," I said finding my voice, though it came out several octaves higher.

He shook his head, "Hey."

I opened my mouth to say something to make it less awkward but no words came out. I just froze not knowing what to do. He didn't know what to do either; he was just rocking back and forth on the edge of his heel.

Alex came rushing into the living room with two iced teas in her hands. "Alright here are the iced teas." She turned and saw Edward standing there. "Edward, I thought you weren't going to be home till later."

"I got off earlier than expected," he said.

She gave me my iced tea, setting hers on the table. "Oh, well let me get you an iced tea." Before Edward could object, she rushed back to the kitchen leaving Edward and me alone.

We stood in silence for a minute. I knew I shouldn't have come, things like this only ever happened to me.

"Would you like to sit down?" Edward asked breaking the silence.

"Uh, sure."

I was about to go sit on the couch when I saw that I still had the stone in my hand. I awkwardly went to go put it back where I found it. Edward's eyes shot right to my hand and then flew up to meet my eyes. I was not sure how long we stood staring at each other, the tension growing by the second. I managed to pry my eyes from his and walked to the couch.

"So how are-"

"How was your first-"

We both began to say at the same time. We nervously laughed and I felt my cheeks turn pink.

"What were you going to say?" I asked.

"Oh, I was just going to ask how your first day at work was," he said brushing his hand through his hair.

"It was great. Just what I hoped it would be. Surprisingly, Alex works in the same department as I do," I said.

He nodded, "Oh, that's a coincidence."

"Yup."

We stayed in an uncomfortable silence for another minute until I broke it. "So, how are you?"

He let out a shaky breath, "Good, good. And you?"

"Great. Just great," I said awkwardly.

God, could I sound like a bigger moron? Two times in as many days now, I'd had to endure this kind of awkwardness. I kept my eyes trained to the carpet and made minimal eye contact with him. I kept messing with my hands, not knowing what to do with them. I placed them in my lap in fear I'd snap a finger off.

Edward shifted in his seat. "Maybe I should go."

I shook my head, "No, no, you don't have to do that. I should leave," I said and stood up at the same time he did.

He stuck his hand out to stop me. "No, its fine. You stay and do whatever you came here to do." He was clearly disturbed by my hanging out with his fiancée. That made two of us.

"Don't leave. I'll feel guilty for kicking you out of your own home. I should be the one to leave," I said going over to pick up my bag.

"No, you're not. I just thought if I leave it'll be less…awkward," he said at a loss for words.

My cheeks were burning by this point. "Don't worry, it's the situation. Not you."

"Right, the situation," he half whispered.

We stood staring at each other not making any movements. Alex rushed back into the room causing Edward and I to jump, startled. She put a plate of cookies on the table with Edward's iced tea. She looked up at me noticing my bag in my hands.

"Oh, are you leaving already?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm really sorry but Alice called and she needs to talk to me about something important. I should probably head over to her place," I said. I surprised myself, I sounded so convincing, I believed my own lie.

Desperate times called for big fat lies.

Alex seemed worried. "Well I hope everything is okay."

I waved my hand in the air dismissing the whole situation. "Oh everything is fine. But, I'll take a rain check on the tea. I'll see you at work."

I quickly walked to the door and looked over at Edward who was frozen in the same spot. "Bye, umm, Edward." I said and I quickly took off as fast as I could.

I ran to the end of the hall way and leaned against the wall trying to get my heart beat to slow down. I took deep and steady breaths, trying to shake off the weird feelings that filled the inside of my stomach whenever I was around Edward anymore. I suddenly remembered that Rosalie and Emmett also lived in this same apartment building. Without giving it a second thought I rushed to find their apartment.

When I found it on the first floor, I knocked with urgency. In what felt like forever, Emmett finally opened the door.

"Bella, hey. What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly surprised to see me.

I walked right inside the apartment. "Is Rosalie here? I need to talk to her."

Emmett closed the door behind him. "No, she's not here. She should be here in a few minutes though. You could wait if you want."

"Sure, I'll wait," I said and sat down on the couch.

Emmett looked at me suspiciously. "Are you okay? You look like you just ran over a cat or something."

I laughed. I was sure I looked like hell. "I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure that out," I answered honestly. I could never lie to Emmett. He never judged or chose sides and he never really remembered anything anybody told him anyway.

Emmett gave me a sad smile. "Does this have anything to do with Edward's engagement?" I slightly flinched at the word engagement, though Emmett didn't seem to notice.

"No. It has to do with the fact that Edward's fiancé is my co-worker and she invited me over to her house where I ran into Edward," I said.

He nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see and let me guess it was awkward, huh?"

"Oh my god, the most awkward situation I've ever been in my life." I buried my face in my hands. "Why does it have to be this way? God, I should've just stayed in Tucson. It would've been easier."

Emmett sat on the couch next to me and rubbed my back. "Well I'm glad you came back. I missed you too much, Belly." I looked up at Emmett. His face was sad and honest; it always surprised me to see Emmett like this.

"When you left, it was like a part of our family was missing. It was hard especially for Alice. Rose tried to hide it, but I know her better than anyone. I'm sure everyone, including Edward, would agree that it's good to have you back."

I felt my eyes go watery and an immense amount of guilt filled my body. I jumped at Emmett giving him a hug. "I missed you too, Emmy. It was really hard being away. I hated being far away from you all. I am glad I'm back…it's just the circumstances are just a tad complicated."

I released him from the hug and looked at his face as he spoke. "Don't worry about the awkwardness. Just give it some time. I'm sure everything and everyone will go back to the way it should be," Emmett said.

With my thumb I brushed away some tears that had managed to fall. "I hope you're right."

He stood up taking my hand in his with a huge smile on his face. "Now, I know what you need."

"What's that?" I asked.

"The whole group is going out." Emmett spun me around. "We are going clubbing tonight."

I gave Emmett an incredulous look. What were we, twenty-one? Didn't we all need to work in the morning? He looked completely serious though. Oh boy, this was going to be an interesting night.

**

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Ah, I love Emmett. If I wasn't so in love with Edward, I would so be team Emmett. Anyways, things are well, awkward but that is to be expected. You know what to do. Leave me a review and share your thoughts with me. **


	5. Club Nights & Beer Fight

**Yes, this is an actual update. Your eyes don't deceive you. I'm so, so sorry. It's been over a month and I truly apologize. I started school and it's been kicking my ass. It's an important year for me so I have been real busy. I promise you I'll try my best to update earlier though I can't guarantee anything. Again, I'm really sorry for the delay on this chapter but to make it up it's the longest chapter I've written. 16 pages on word, so enjoy. Leave me a review and let me know how you liked it.**

**As always, a huge thanks to my beta MadeleineJade for getting this back to me quickly. She's a super beta. **

*I saw this disclaimer on someone else page and I just had to put it one mine.*

**Disclaimer: Hey, Joss17, I'm really happy for you and imma let you finish but Stephanie Meyer had one of the best vampire books ever written!**

Yes, Kanye, I know.

* * *

_And not a person here is innocent_

_Were both as guilty as a sin..._

_Lets pretend that we don't have a past_

_the worst one_

_Forbid forget forget that you exist..._

_This is how it ends  
_

_We believe every lie and say we'll be friends_

_How long will it last?_

_Hourglass by The Hush Sound_

* * *

**BPOV**

"Ow."

"Shh."

"Ow!"

"Would you shut up?" Alice scolded.

"Well I would if you would stop trying to pull my hair out," I complained.

Rosalie came home a few minutes after I did and Emmett pitched his idea of going to the club. Thankfully, Rosalie had some sense in her and thought it'd be best if we saved the whole clubbing thing for Friday night.

I skillfully managed to avoid Edward at all cost since the awkward incident at his house. Avoiding Alex was much harder seeing as how I worked with her but I managed to have minimal contact with her.

Friday night finally arrived and I was at Rosalie's apartment getting ready. I was dreading this day and now it was finally here. While Alice did my hair, Rosalie was in the closet digging for our outfits. I sighed loudly earning a smack from Alice.

"So help me god, Bella, you had better stop complaining and you had better have fun tonight," she said wagging a finger at my face.

"Yes, Mother," I said sarcastically. She shot me a glare, which I guess was supposed to scare me, but it made me smile instead.

I noticed Rosalie came out with three dresses in her hand. Ugh, I really hated Emmett right now.

"I don't understand why we need to get all dressed up. I mean it's just one night," I said not understanding the need for all the preparation.

"You're right, Bella, you don't understand. Do you see this dress?" Rosalie said holding a black dress in her hands. It had a yellow stripe that went through the midsection all the way down to the bottom of the dress.

I nodded while rolling my eyes at the lecture I knew was coming from Rosalie.

"You see this isn't just any dress. This dress says that you have class and confidence. It shows everyone in the club that they can look but they can't touch. It also tells Sean that he should feel like one lucky bastard to have you."

I raised my eyebrow. "Wow, it says all that. Does it come with a warranty?"

Rosalie shot me a glare as well but continued talking as though I hadn't said anything. "And, most importantly, this dress will be crumpled on the floor tonight after being ripped off by Sean."

I blushed slightly. Wow this was some dress.

I noticed Rosalie had stopped talking. I turned to look at her and saw her standing still with her light violet eyes smoldering. I picked up a pillow and threw it at her.

"Stop having a dirty dream about Emmett!" I cried.

She grabbed the pillow and threw it back at me. "Shut up, like you don't think about Sean."

I blushed…_again_. Rosalie had a smug look that said, "Yeah, Bella, I know you're not so innocent so shut up," look on her face while Alice laughed at me.

"So, Bella?" Alice began in a serious tone.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of Alex?" she asked in a careful tone as if she was afraid that she'd hurt my feelings.

I was expecting this question to come up sometime soon. The thing is, I didn't know the answer. What did I think of Alex? Was I even allowed to have an opinion about my ex-boyfriend's fiancée? I should hate her shouldn't I? But that would mean that I still loved Edward, which I didn't. But, if I liked her and became best friends with her …well that was just weird and an unlikely scenario.

"Oh, umm. She's really nice?" I said but it came out more like a question.

Alice chuckled, "Yeah, she is really nice."

"They seem like the perfect couple," I said softly. "When is the wedding?"

Would I even be invited and would I even want to go?

"The date isn't exactly set. You see, Edward is just starting his Master's and then he'll have to finish his doctorate so he can teach music at the college level, so that'll take a long time. In the meantime, he has a part time job as a music teacher at an elementary school. He wants to buy a house somewhere in Seattle for him and Alex. So they haven't exactly set a specific date."

"Oh," I said.

"I think they are planning on getting married when Edward is done with school so they'll both have a steady job," Alice finished saying.

No date had been set…yet. Was that good or bad?

"So what do you think of Sean?" I asked not wanting to talk about Edward's wedding or fiancée anymore. There were just too many questions to ponder over. "And be honest," I ordered.

Their opinion of him meant everything to me. They were my best friends and I had to know if they approve of him.

"I think he is totally in love with you," Rosalie said. Her answer was not one that I was expecting. My head shot up to her face and saw her staring at me.

"I know he'll make you happy and give you want you want. He seems like a good guy," Rosalie said.

"I can see that too," Alice agreed. "He cares enough about you to give you what you want, even if it means hurting himself."

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. What did she mean even _if it means hurting himself_? Before I could ask more there was a knock on the door.

"Are you girls almost done? I'm hungry," Emmett whined through the door.

"We're almost done. Don't rush us. Beauty takes time," Rosalie yelled through the door.

"I already think you're beautiful," Emmett said.

I snorted. Nice one Emmett.

"Aww, honey, don't push it," Rosalie cooed through the door.

After Emmett left we finally went to the clothes stage. Sitting in my underwear wasn't exactly fun. Alice and Rosalie helped me get into my dress and zipped it up for me. It was a strapless black dress and was paired with these giant black heels. I lost my balance just looking at the shoes. Alice kept assuring me that it would be fine.

Sure, easy for her to say.

Then the final make-up touches were done on my face. I looked in the mirror and my mouth hung open. I looked…good. Or so I thought until Rosalie and Alice stood by my side. Both Rose and Alice looked like they just stepped out of a magazine, making me look like the scrub I was. The only consolation I could think of was that I could be considered glamorous by association.

There was a knock on the door before a voice said, "It's Alex. Can I come in?"

"Of course, come in, Alex," Alice said. Alex stepped inside the room and shut the door.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt but Emmett said he's hungry," Alex said apologetically. I laughed along with Alice as Rosalie shook her head.

"He told you to come up here didn't he?" Rosalie asked.

Alex shook her head. "No, I was coming to check on you because Edward was getting frustrated. Emmett just said to tell you he was hungry since I was on my way here."

"Don't answer him. You know what just stay here. It'll make him crazy," Rosalie told her.

Alex laughed going over to sit at the edge of the bed. "Wow, you guys all look amazing. I feel so underdressed."

I noticed she was wearing a nice pair of black slacks and a cute shirt. "I just got off of work a little later than I planned and didn't have time to go home to change. I found this top buried in the trunk of my car."

Alice grabbed Alex by the hand. "No worries. We can fix it. We can fix anything."

After half an hour Alex was fixed and beautified for the club. She had on a short black skirt and a lace top with a black bow in the center. Her short black hair was pinned into a bun and her thick lashes covered with two layers of mascara. She really did look amazing. Alice and Rosalie should have been professional stylists.

"Wow," she breathed as she looked in the mirror. "You guys are miracle workers. I still don't look as good as you three, but it's better than being in my work clothes."

"You look amazing. Trust me," Rosalie assured her.

"Oh my god, are you done getting dressed or what?" we heard Emmett yell.

"We're coming, so shut up," Rosalie yelled back. She turned to us and smiled beautifully. "Ready for a night of fun?"

No, not really.

"Let's go!" Alice screamed with excitement grabbing me from my arm and dragging me to the living room.

EPOV

"How much longer is this going to take?" I asked frustrated. Rosalie and Alice were still locked in the room doing god knows what. I knew better than to blame Bella; I know she was suffering having to be up in there with them.

"I'm going to go check on them," Alex said. She patted my leg before getting up from the couch and headed towards the bedroom.

"Tell them that Emmett is hungry," Emmett called after her.

"Don't refer to yourself in the third person. It's creepy," Jasper said throwing a crumpled ball of paper at his head. Before I arrived, Emmett and Jasper were having a paper ball fight to pass the time while the girls got ready.

"Emmett does not want you to speak to him in that tone in his own house," Emmett said to Jasper. He picked up two more crumpled balls and shot them back at Jasper.

Jasper shook his head. "Emmett is an idiot."

"Why are we doing this again?" I asked interrupting their bickering.

I knew we made plans to go to the club on Friday, but I didn't think we'd really go. I just thought it was another one of Emmett's brilliant plans. It wasn't a work night but there was no need to go to the club. Don't get me wrong, I loved dancing but I was not really in the mood to drink. No I take that back. I wanted to drink. I just didn't want to be in a noisy and crowded place to do it.

"I told you. Bella was feeling a little down, so I suggested that we all go to the club. Something fun and upbeat to do," Emmett said.

"Why was she feeling bad?" I asked worried.

"Uh, umm, no reason. I don't remember exactly," Emmett stuttered not making eye contact with me.

"Emmett," I said sternly.

"Dude, nothing is wrong, okay. Just chill," Emmett said.

"Was she already here at your place? Or did Rosalie call her at her house?" I asked.

"What's with the 20 questions?" Emmett asked slightly annoyed.

"No reason. It's just that-" I began but stopped short. It probably had nothing to do with what happened at my place earlier this week.

"It's just that what?" Jasper asked.

"Well, something happened a few days ago. After I got off of work I went home to rest, but when I opened my door the first thing I saw was Bella," I said. "Alex was in the kitchen and she left Bella and me alone and things got weird. When Alex came back Bella nearly ran out the house without an explanation. It was all really…strange," I finished.

"Well, what do you expect? You never told Alex the truth about Bella so naturally Alex would want to get to know Bella. Bella must be confused why Alex is being nice to her, thus making her uncomfortable," Jasper hypothesized.

"Is it wrong that I didn't tell Alex about Bella?" I asked frustrated with myself and about this whole situation.

"I don't know what to tell you, man. I know why you did it and I'm glad but you are technically lying to her," Jasper said.

"He's not lying. He's just withholding information," Emmett said.

Jasper and I turned to stare at Emmett.

"What?"

"Yeah that makes it better, Emmett?" I snapped. Jasper just shook his head and called him an idiot again.

I groaned burying my face in my hands. There was a knock on the front door but I didn't bother looking to see who came in. Now I was really not in the mood to go to the club tonight. My mind just wasn't in it.

"Sean, my man!" Emmett greeted him.

Great Sean was here. I groaned internally.

It wasn't that I hated the guy…I turned to look at him. Blonde hair, tan, and he was Bella's boyfriend. Actually, I did hate him. Sean greeted Jasper next and he turned to me with a slight glare. He greeted me with a nod of his head. I nodded back ignoring Jasper and Emmett as they made conversation with Sean.

"Great, it's been nearly half an hour since Alex went to get them," Emmett said with a groan. "They must've gotten to her too."

"Oh my god, are you done getting dressed or what?" Emmett yelled, exasperation evident in his tone.

"We're coming, so shut up!" We heard Rosalie yell from the room.

"Finally," I sighed. I ran a hand through my hair when I heard footsteps.

The first person to emerge from the room was Alex. I had to do a double take when I saw her. She looked different than she did half an hour ago. She had on a mini skirt and a lacey white shirt. Her hair was put in a bun, and she looked amazing.

I went to her side immediately. "Wow, you look amazing." My eyes glazed over as I eyed her body.

"Thanks. Trust me I look like nothing compared to Rosalie, Alice or Bella," she said modestly.

I looked up and saw Bella coming out of the room. If I did a double take with Alex I did like a twelve take with Bella. She looked beautiful. She went over to Sean and gave him a hug. I saw her cheeks turn pink and felt slightly jealous that he was the guy to tell her she looked beautiful. I shook those thoughts out of my mind, though, and focused on Alex. Alice came out and stood by Jasper while Rosalie came out and smacked Emmett for being impatient.

We left the apartment and headed for Emmett's Jeep. Rosalie rode in the passenger seat while Emmett drove. Bella, Alice and Alex sat in the middle and Jasper, Sean and I sat in the back seats. Luck was not on my side as I had to sit next to Sean. I could feel his stiff shoulders against mine. _Trust me, buddy, I don't want to sit next to you anymore than you do_.

We were heading to one of the better clubs in Seattle. The bouncers knew us all by name, including Bella. When we were still in high school, Bella knew one of the bouncers personally. His name was Jacob and he'd always let us pass through with our fake IDs only because we introduced him to his wife, Nessie.

It was really interesting the way we met her. Bella and I were in our junior year of high school. We were at my house and I was quiet and not really in the mood to talk. Earlier that day I had seen Bella with Mike and this anger washed through me. I ended up snapping at Bella and in response she threw a bottle of water at my head and ran away.

"Bella get back inside! It's raining you could get sick!" I yelled chasing after Bella.

How we constantly got into these fights, I didn't know. All I knew was, they frequently ended up with me chasing after Bella. And, that day I chased her in the pouring rain.

"So? I don't care if I get sick. If I do, it'll be on your conscious!" she yelled at me.

"Bella, you're acting like a child," I scolded her. "Could you stop running? I feel like an idiot."

"You _are_ an idiot and stop following me. I hate you, Edward Cullen." She tripped but quickly regained her balance.

When she tripped again, I had enough time to catch up to her and grab her by the arm.

"Let me go!"

"No, I will not let you go until we talk about this," I said gripping her harder.

"I have nothing to say to you. You're a jealous jerk and you act like cave man. I was just talking to him. Am I not allowed to have guy friends anymore?" she asked.

"Okay, I'll admit it. I over reacted but you shouldn't be talking. You nearly killed Jessica for asking me what the homework was," I snapped.

"Yeah right. Her actions weren't so innocent. She had her hand on your forearm when she asked. I'm surprised she didn't shove her tongue down your throat." Bella pushed her little hands against my chest. I couldn't see her clearly because the rain blurred my vision, but I knew she was pissed.

I grabbed her hands. "Well I'm surprised Mike didn't just grab your ass. I saw his hand twitching towards it."

"Let me go!" she said and pulled her hands from my grip. She slowly started to back away from me.

I buried my face in my hands. "Arg! God, tell me why we're fighting about this. This is ridiculous, Bella. You should trust me. I don't want anybody but you!" I yelled out in frustration.

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes. Her hair was completely drenched, as was her body from head to toe. I saw her taking deep breaths in, her chest rising and falling. Out of nowhere she ran towards me jumping up into my arms before kissing me, hard. Her legs wrapped around my waist.

My immediate response was to hold her tighter to me and kiss her back, even harder. It turned into a battle of who was in control. Her hands roamed through my hair eliciting a moan from my mouth. My hands went up her shirt touching any bare skin my fingertips could touch.

"Shit! Oh, shit!" I heard a voice yell. "Come on. Damn it!"

Bella and I stopped kissing and were slightly confused as we tried to find the owner of the voice. Bella was still in my arms and her head rested against mine trying to control her heavy breathing. We heard a car and another chant of 'shit, oh shit'.

Bella hopped off of me and headed towards the small silver Audi Sedan. It seemed that the wheel was stuck in the mud. Since it was raining hard, it wouldn't move easily. A woman in her mid-twenties was in the car trying to reverse out of the mud.

"If you keep reversing the car you'll never get out!" I yelled.

"Oh fuck! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Forgive my language," the woman said after rolling down her window.

Bella and I just laughed. "Do you need some help? I could bring out my girlfriend's truck and get you out in no time."

"Oh my god! Would you? That would be so great. You two are my saviors. I can't thank you enough," she said sincerely.

"I'll go get my truck, be back in a bit," Bella said dashing off to my house where her truck was parked.

"Here let me drive the car. Trust me it's a pain in the ass trying to get out of mud," I said to the woman.

She seemed a little hesitant at first.

"Don't worry I won't steal your car. I already have my dream car," I said jokingly.

"It's not that, it's just I hate the rain," she said scrunching up her face in disgust. I laughed at her expression. She reminded me of Bella.

"Oh screw it," she said getting out of the car and pulling out her purple polka-dot umbrella.

I saw Bella pulling up behind the silver sedan. I walked over to her and pulled out her chain going over to tie it in front of Bella's truck. Meanwhile Bella tied the other end of the chain in the back of the Audi, tying tightly in place.

I went inside the sedan while Bella got back in the truck. After struggling a few times, we finally managed to free the wheel from the mud hole. I parked the woman's car on the side, quickly getting out and giving her the keys.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The woman cried out with happiness. "I will be forever grateful to you both. I'm Nessie by the way. As you can tell, I'm new in town."

I smiled, "Welcome to Forks, Nessie, I'm Edward Cullen and this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan."

"Nice to meet you both," she said shaking our hands. "Now, are you two busy or are you going to make-out in the middle of the rain some more?"

I looked over at Bella and saw her cheeks turn red. I laughed both at what Nessie said and Bella's reaction. "No, we're not busy."

"Good, I would like to take you both for a coffee to warm up," she said.

Bella shook her head. "It's really not necessary."

"It's the least I can do. Please," Nessie pleaded.

I looked over at Bella and she just shrugged her shoulders. Nothing better to do I guess. "Alright, there's this café in the center of town. You can follow us behind Bella's truck."

She nodded and went inside her car while we walked to the truck. "I'm driving," I said snatching the keys from Bella's hands.

"I don't think so. Give me my keys," Bella said.

"No, I'll feel better if I drive. Wouldn't want you to get hurt, babe."

"I can drive just fine. I'm not handicapped. Now give me my keys, _babe_," Bella said trying to reach for the keys.

I raised my hands in the air making Bella jump up and down. "Edward! Gah, you suck!"

"Technically, you're the one that sucks," I said wiggling my eyebrows at her.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, you perve! Is that all you think about?" she asked when we were inside the car.

I laughed at her when I noticed her cheeks turning pink. Bella was especially beautiful when she was angry. If it weren't for Nessie meeting us at the café, I would have done an illegal u-turn and drove us back home.

We parked outside the café and walked inside. "You two go sit down and I'll order our drinks," Nessie said.

I pulled out my wallet to give her some money, but she shook her head. "No, nuh-uh, it's my treat. Now go sit down."

Bella and I found a booth and sat next to each other. We were soaking wet from running in the rain. She put her feet in my lap and rested her head against the wall. I rubbed lazy patterns on her legs.

Nessie arrived at the table placing two cups in front of us. "Alright, here are two hot mochas. I'll be right back."

I took a sip of my mocha enjoying the hot liquid as it ran down my throat. It warmed up my body. I heard Bella moan while sipping her coffee. Her eyes closed and a smile spread across her beautiful face. I shifted slightly seeing as how these pants were starting to fit a little tighter in a certain area.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry!" I heard Nessie cry out.

"Don't worry about it I should've been watching where I was walking," I heard a familiar male voice said.

"Ah, shit. I ruined my shirt," Nessie complained. I looked up to see a huge coffee stain in Nessie's white button up shirt. I also saw a very large Jacob Black covered in coffee as well. It seems that Nessie had a knack of getting herself into trouble, just like Bella. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that they were related.

I noticed that Nessie and Jacob kept their eyes locked on each other. I felt as though I was interrupting a moment between them.

"Jacob?" Bella asked jumping over me to get out of the booth. "Jacob! What are you doing in Forks?" she asked running towards him and launching herself in for a hug.

Jacob was the son of Charlie's good friend, Billy Black. Jacob had been like a big brother to her since Bella was born.

Jacob caught Bella, spinning her around. "Bella! I was just at Charlie's and he said you were over at the Cullen's. How are you?"

"Good, good. You remember Edward, right?" Bella said dragging him over to me.

"Jacob, how've you been?" I said shaking his hand.

"Not bad Ed. How are you taking care of little Bella here?" he asked.

"She's safe with me you know that," I said.

"That's what I like to hear," Jacob said. He turned to look at Nessie who looked really confused at our interaction.

"Jacob, this is Nessie, who we just saved her from a muddy hole. Nessie, this is Jacob an old family friend of Bella's," I introduced them. Bella shot a glance over at me and then she immediately knew what I was doing and smiled at me.

"Jake, sit down with Edward. Nessie and I will go get more coffee," Bella said dragging Nessie, who still had a love struck look on her face. Jacob had the same look on his face only he had a lazy smile plastered on.

"Who did you say that was again?" Jacob asked finally sitting down, occasionally glancing towards the women's bathroom where Bella and Nessie disappeared to.

I took a sip of my coffee. "That is Nessie, we just met her. She brought Bella and me here as a thank you for helping her. She's new in town," I said.

"Huh," Jacob said looking really intrigued. He tried to fish out more information from me about Nessie but I couldn't answer them. I saw Bella and Nessie coming towards us.

"We're back!" Bella said excitedly. Nessie had taken off her shirt and was wearing Bella's jacket, leaving Bella with her thin white long sleeve shirt. They brought fresh cups of coffee and we spent the rest of the afternoon talking.

Jacob offered to take Nessie around town and he even invited her to the club where he worked on the weekends. I turned to Bella and saw a smirk cover her beautiful face. We were both thinking the same thing.

We were so going to the club this weekend.

He was reluctant to let us in at first but when we reminded him about Nessie he cursed and opened the doors to let us in. It was one of the best nights of my teenage life, and I'm sure it was for my siblings as well.

We arrived at the club and heard the music booming loudly outside. Those in line were dancing to the beat of the music. We didn't need to wait in line once we saw a familiar face standing in the front of the door of the club.

"Bella!" Jacob said once he saw Bella. Bella ran over to him and hugged him.

"When did you get back?" he asked.

"Just a few days ago," Bella said. "This is Sean, my boyfriend. Sean this is Jacob, a family friend." They shook hands and talked for a minute. I noticed Jacob would occasionally shoot me a few glances at me but I tried to ignore them.

"Edward, long time no see," Jacob said giving me a one armed hug.

"Too long. How is everything?" I asked.

"Everything is perfect. The baby is getting bigger. You should come and see him one day. Bring your fiancée," Jacob said with a slight edge to his voice. I hadn't exactly told Jacob about Alex.

"Nessie told me," he explained looking at my confused look.

I had gone to Nessie for advice on various occasions and I had asked her for advice on Alex. Naturally, Nessie would have told Jacob, who I had not seen in a long time.

"Crap, I'm sorry. Alex this is Jacob. Jacob this is my fiancée, Alex," I said introducing them.

"It's really nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," Alex said.

"Nice to meet you too, Alex," Jacob said. He turned to us. "Well if it isn't the little Cullens and Hales. It seems you have all grown up. Or are you going to trick me into getting you free drinks, now," Jacob said.

"You are happily married now aren't you?" I asked with a smile.

"True. First round of drinks are on me," Jacob said and all of us cheered, Emmett being the loudest. "Bella, you should stop by. Nessie would love to see you again."

"Definitely. I'll stop by soon," Bella said. Jacob let us inside without even checking our identification.

We went inside the club, the music blasting loudly. Alice and Emmett were the craziest ones in the group. As if they weren't embarrassing enough. Alice talked the bouncer into letting us in the VIP lounge. It turned out the bouncer was a guy named Seth Clearwater. He quickly remembered us and let us in the lounge that we had all to ourselves.

"This is pretty cool!" Emmett said with a nod of his head trying to remain casual, but I knew he was pretty impressed. Everybody was looking around, awestruck. This was pretty cool.

"Let's get some drinks!" Alice said rushing over to the bar.

She came back with a waitress who was carrying a tray of drinks and passed them around. Alice already knew what everyone liked to drink. I drank scotch with coke. Emmett and Jasper both usually took tequila shots. Alex liked drinking gin tonics or regular vodka martinis. Alice ordered a few cosmos for Bella, Rosalie and herself.

After a few drinks everybody was starting to feel the buzz. We were all laughing and went dancing for a little while. After an hour I was getting tired and dragged Alex with me up to the lounge, while the rest of my family stayed on the dance floor.

This was going to be a long night.

BPOV

I was starting to feel slightly light headed after two cosmos and a beer. I was working on my second one after Sean and I came back up from dancing. It seemedEmmett's plan had worked. Only slightly though.

My feet really hurt from all of the dancing I did in these enormous heels so I needed a break. Unfortunately, Edward and Alex were up in the lounge too.

We sat down and silence filled the table. "Do you want to go dance?" Sean asked me.

"No, my feet hurt," I said taking off my heels.

"Come on, Edward, let's dance," I heard Alex ask Edward.

"Not right now. I need to take a break," Edward said.

"But I want to dance some more," Alex whined a little. Then she looked at me. "If you don't mind, Bella, would it be all right if I stole Sean for a dance?" Alex asked me.

I almost choked on my beer and saw Edward's eyes pop out. "No, no I don't mind," I said a few octaves higher than my usually tone.

Alex turned to Sean. "Would you like to dance?"

Sean turned towards me. "Are you sure you'll be fine?" His eyes glanced over at Edward.

I waved my hand. "Go. It's fine. Don't worry about me."

Sean took Alex by the hand and I watched them go to the dance floor where our friends were grinding on each other. I laughed at the sight of them. Should I havebeen jealous that my boyfriend was dancing with another woman? I didn't feel jealous, but that was making me feel guilty. It was a vicious cycle.

I took a huge swig of my beer and turned to find Edward staring at me. I had almost forgotten that he was here. I smiled at him not knowing what to say.

"So why aren't you dancing? I know you love to dance," I said wanting to break the silence.

"I don't feel like it right now. And you?" he asked.

"I don't feel like it either," I said with a smile.

Silence fell between us and I drank more beer. I bobbed my head to the beat of the music.

"Does Alex know who I am?" I suddenly blurted out. I heard Edward choke on his beer and I felt my face flush.

Oh, shit. That's the thing about being under the influence of alcohol; you tend to blurt out things that you normally would _never_ ever say.

"Oh, shit. God, please don't answer that. I'm so sorry; it's none of my business," I said, my face turning redder by the minute.

"Bella-" he began.

I shook my head vigorously. "Please, don't. I--god--I should think before I speak."

I started to mumble and scold myself for being so stupid. What brought me back to reality was Edward's laughter. I looked up, my expression questioning him. He waved his hand signaling that he would explain in a minute.

He still wouldn't answer me and I became annoyed with him.

"Edward, what is so funny?"

This only seemed to make him laugh harder. Angry, I felt I had to do something so I did the only rational thing I could do in my state of mind. I picked up the bottle of beer and threw the reaming contents in it at him.

He stood looking wide-eyed at me and I froze. What had I done? My hand was frozen in place as I waited to see what his reaction would be. What the hell was wrong with me tonight? In the words of Jamie Foxx, 'blame it on the a-a-ah-ah-alcohol.'

He reached over and picked up his on beer bottle and threw the rest on my face. I squealed and my mouth hung open as I wiped the liquid off of my face. "You did not just do that," I said.

"Now, we're even," he said with a smirk of his face.

We sat just looking at each other, well more like glaring at each other. For some reason this felt normal; it felt familiar. It felt like we were back in high school and how our arguments sometimes somehow involved food. I noticed as his glare slowly turned into a smile. It felt like nothing was ever wrong and I liked it. It scared me how much it felt right.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked trying to sound serious but failed miserably.

"Nothing," he said, "It's just-"

"It's just what?" I asked.

"It just reminded me of the old days, you know," he said looking down at his hands. He was probably afraid of what my reaction would be.

"I know me too," I said. He finally looked up at me and I smiled at him.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we can be…is there a chance…would it be possible?" he struggled to get out.

"Just spit it out, Edward," I said jokingly.

"Do you think we can be…friends?" he asked hesitantly.

"Friends?" I pondered aloud.

His face fell. "Or not."

I smiled, "I think we can manage to be friends."

His head shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." We smiled at each other for who knows how long.

I heard voices and footsteps coming up to the lounge. Our friends were laughing, and extremely drunk.

"What the hell happened two you too?" Alice asked looking over at me then at Edward.

"Why are you wet? And, why do you smell like beer?" Rosalie asked coming over to inspect us.

"Edward and I had a beer fight," I said.

"Why?" Emmett asked.

"Edward made me mad so I threw my beer at him," I said.

"Then I threw the rest of my beer at Bella for throwing hers at me," Edward said.

Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper had smiles on their faces, looking over at Edward then at me. Sean looked angry though I could have been wrong. I couldn't really see straight. Alex and Emmett both looked slightly confused.

"Are you ready to leave?" Alex asked all of us.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's three thirty," Sean said.

Nearly four a.m, we sure knew how to party. I quickly excused myself to the bathroom to clean myself off, and then I met the rest of my friends outside the club. I said good-bye to Jacob thanking him for the drinks and promising to visit Nessie and the baby.

In the car, occasionally, Alice, Rosalie and Jasper would smile at me. It was as if they were all in on a secret but if you asked they'd all say the same thing, "it's nothing" and look away with smug smiles. I didn't want to know what it was anyways. Or so I tried to convince myself.

Emmett dropped off Alice, Jasper, Sean and me at our apartment and dashed off to theirs. I wondered what the rush was but quickly understood when Alice and Jasper barely mumbled an inaudible goodnight and Jasper lifted Alice off the ground rushing her into their apartment. I also noticed Alice planting a huge kiss on his lips. It must have been the alcohol because I suddenly became anxious to get into my apartment as well.

Once the door closed I felt Sean's lips roam my body. Sean and I drunkenly walked through the living room and after a few bumps along the way, we finally found the bedroom. For some odd reason, though, Edward kept popping into my mind even though it was Sean's hands and lips on me.

I kept replaying our conversation in my head. I wondered to myself, would I have agreed to be his friend had I been sober. Would I have thrown my beer at him? The answer was no. I probably wouldn't have. Would he even remember asking me? I wasn't so sure he would. But we could be friends, couldn't we? Ex's became friends all the time, I thought.

"Bella," I heard Sean moan softly, snapping me back to the here and now. I quickly pushed the thoughts out my mind and focused only on Sean, my boyfriend.

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**I hope the wait was worth it. Leave a review and let me know what you're thinking. Again, the songs for the chapter titles are on my profile if you'd like to check that out. Review!**


	6. Friends? Yes, Maybe?

**Hello everyone! I was looking at my stories and was shocked to see that it has been four months since I've updated for this story. FOUR MONTHS?! I don't have an excuse for not updating in so long. I give you all permission to yell at me in my reviews. Thank you to those who have stuck around and reading this story. This one is for you guys. **

**Super thanks to my super beta, Madeleinejade. Go show her some love in her stories. Now, enough talking and get on with the chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight does not and will never belong to me. **

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_It's easier to run, replacing the pain with something numb._

_It's easier to go, then face all this pain here all alone._

_If I could change I would, take back the pain I would._

_Replace every wrong move that I made, I would._

_If could, stand up and take the blame I would._

_**Easier to Run** **by** **Linkin Park**_

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I forgot to turn off the alarm and it was so loud that I fell off the bed and bruised my leg. What a wonderful way to start the morning. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I kept thinking about last week. I'd been so busy at work all week that I never really had a chance to think about it.

Did I really throw my beer at Edward? Bella, what are you doing? Ex's become friends, don't they? Clearly, whomever said that has never had a relationship like mine before.

During this past week, I had rarely seen Edward or any of my friends. I did see a lot of Alex though. She really was a sweet girl, but it bothered me to think she was that blind.

I distracted myself by making coffee and cooking some breakfast. The smell of the food must have woken Sean up because I heard footsteps. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I smiled widely as he placed soft kisses on my neck and hair.

"Careful, I'm holding a spatula and could cause harm to us both," I warned.

He smiled against my skin and placed one more kiss on my neck and let me go. "Smells good," he said and walked over to fill himself a cup of coffee.

"Thanks. It's your favorite. Scrambled eggs with bacon bits, sausage bits, and lots of shredded cheese." I set the table with two plates and served the food.

He smiled. "Thanks, babe."

We ate our breakfast and talked. Today Sean was going out job hunting and trying to find events he could work in. For photographers you took whatever job you could find. It was hard making a living out of photography.

He left after breakfast and I was alone. I cleaned the dishes and worked on a piece that needed to be turned in before five this afternoon. I finished the article in about an hour and sent it off to our editor. I was bored and was about to watch TV when the doorbell rang.

I opened the door and saw Rosalie with a giant bag of stuff. "Hi, Bella."

"Hey, Rose. Come on in."

"Okay, I have wedding stuff I need to talk to you about," she said setting her bad down in the living room.

"Without Alice? Is that safe?"

"This is my wedding and if she doesn't like it then she won't be my maid of honor," she said. "Oh shit, looks like I blurted it out didn't I? I hope you don't mind that Alice is my maid of honor. Alice is Emmett's sister and one day they'll get married."

She shook her head and plopped down on the couch. "I had a speech ready and everything."

She looked upset so I sat next to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Rosalie, really it's fine. I understand."

She hugged me tightly. "You are my bridesmaid though. I have to have you at my wedding."

I laughed. "Of course I'll be a bridesmaid. Nothing will keep me from your wedding."

We started to talk about the wedding. She showed me all the Alice approved bridesmaid dresses and showed me her favorite ones. Rosalie stopped and looked at me closely at one point making me highly uncomfortable.

"What?" I asked.

"Is everything okay? You seem, I don't know, distracted."

Of course Rosalie would notice something like that. Not to say that Alice was unobservant, but she was always on. She never noticed when someone wasn't. Rosalie, on the other hand, was very in tuned with me and knew when something was on my mind. It made no sense to lie to her.

"Something happened and I'm not sure if it's good or bad," I began. "Last week at the club when all of you went dancing, Edward and I talked. He asked if I wanted us to be friends and I might have said yes. It was just the alcohol talking right? I mean, there is no way we can be friends," I finished saying.

"Why not?" she asked, looking slightly confused.

Was she serious? She of all people would know why Edward and I shouldn't be friends.

"Well, you know why. I mean, our past. It just would seem weird," I said.

"It's your past, Bella. You and Edward aren't the same people you were before, especially Edward. Times have changed. You have Sean, and he has Alex," she said. "Unless, there is a specific reason you don't want to be friends?"

She looked at me expectantly and I shook my head. "No, no. There's no reason."

"Then what's the problem?"

She had a very good point. I could be friends with Edward. He had his life and I had mine. It's like two new people getting to know each other. Like we were forming a brand new friendship. It could work…couldn't it?

Soon Rosalie had to get going. She thanked me for my help and I thanked her for her advice.

"I've got to get home and start getting ready, and you do too," she informed me. Apparently, Alice told Rosalie that we were all going out to dinner. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

She raised her hands. "I'm only a messenger, nothing more."

We said our good-byes, and I silently cursed Alice. After I called Sean, I took a shower and got ready. There was still an unpacked box filled with my clothes. It was only one box so I quickly put everything way.

I was putting the clothes away when I heard a click and saw a bright flash. I looked up to see Sean with the camera in his hand taking a picture of me cleaning. He did that a lot. He'd randomly take pictures of a person when they weren't looking. I looked up at him and he snapped another picture of me.

"Great, I'm sure I look just lovely right now," I said, sticking my hand in front of my face.

"You always look lovely," Sean said with a smile.

I sheepishly smiled my thanks and focused on the box in front of me. He finally got a clue and put the camera down in order to help me. Between the two of us, we managed to get some of the clutter out of the way. When we were done, he sat on the couch and I sat next to him, propping my legs on his lap.

"How has work been?" he asked, rubbing lazy patterns on my leg.

"It's tiring but great. There's a lot to do, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. Jared and Nathan are hilarious. They make my day very entertaining," I said.

Jared and Nathan were the life of the party. I hadn't been there for long so I was sure there would be more incidents to witness, but already I'd had the chance to see them in action and they were sneaky. I was working on a story a few days ago when I saw Jared sneak to Alex's desk while she was on a bathroom break. He stuffed something inside her desk drawer before going to go hide in the corner.

When Alex returned from the bathroom, she opened her drawer to take something out but instead she let out a blood-curdling scream and fell off of her seat. Jared and Nathan both popped out and laughed at her while she cursed and yelled at them. They'd put a very real looking plastic rat in her drawer, and she's apparently deathly afraid of rats. I knew it was bad but I couldn't stop laughing. That was an entertaining day at work and I knew many more were to come.

"How was job hunting today?" I asked.

"Really good. I booked three jobs today," he said proudly.

"Really? Good job, babe. What jobs?"

"I'm doing a baptism, a birthday party, and an engagement party," he said.

While Sean worked on trying to showcase his work, he took a few jobs taking photos of birthdays, weddings and store openings. It was good money and paid the bills. He was an amazing photographer and I knew he was going to get a showcase soon. There were some great art galleries here in Seattle.

"Are we still going out tonight?" Sean asked.

I groaned. "Unfortunately, yes, but we're just going to watch a movie then we'll probably have dinner afterwards."

"Is he going to be there?" Sean asked with annoyance.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Please, just don't. Look, I don't want anything to be any more awkward than it needs to be. Just be nice, please."

"I can't stand the guy," he said aggravated.

"You don't even know him."

"I know enough," he said.

I sighed. I knew Sean would never change his mind about Edward so I just had to let it go. There was nothing I could say or do to change that.

It was nearly six o'clock when there was a knock on the door. It suddenly swung open revealing a very happy Alice. Regardless of how chipper she was, I really was going to start locking the door from now on.

"Bella! Sean! Are you two ready yet?" she yelled from the living room.

"Alice, I'm right here, there is no need to yell," I said with a smile on my face.

She giggled. "Sorry. I get a little overexcited sometimes."

"Sometimes?" I said with eyebrows raised.

She stuck her tongue out at me, causing me to laugh. I grabbed my bag and my favorite grey sweater and followed Alice outside where everyone else was waiting for us. Rosalie and Jasper were huddled together and in the corner were Emmett, Edward, and Alex. When we arrived outside the whole group shifted into a huge circle.

"Bella, are you ready for a night out?" Emmett asked, draping his arm around my shoulder as we headed towards his car.

I could see that Emmett was worried about me from earlier. I wished Emmett didn't worry about me, though. It was sweet that he was making everyone go out tonight, but it really was unnecessary.

I smiled at him and said, "Oh, I'm ready. So, what movie are we watching?"

"Avatar," Rosalie said, walking next to us. I saw her shake her head and roll her eyes. Clearly she had no desire to see this movie.

"Come one, Rosie, it's going to be a good movie. Just wait and see," Emmett said, sure of himself.

We all jumped in Emmett's car, quite literally in my case. I had to get a boost lift from Sean in order to get inside this monster car.

"Didn't we all agree that we weren't going to let Emmett choose the movie anymore?" Jasper asked.

"You did, but I'm just not listening to you guys. It's not my fault you don't have awesome tastes in movies like me," Emmett said, earning a scoff from all of us.

"I'm actually excited to see Avatar. I heard the graphics are amazing," Alex said.

"Alex, don't encourage him," Edward said as Emmett pounded fists with Alex.

My eyes briefly met Edward's and a small smile spread on my lips, but I quickly looked away. I could still feel the tension between us or maybe it was just my imagination. I wondered how long this would go on. Would things ever truly be normal again?

We arrived at the theater in the small movie center not too far from where we lived and each bought our tickets. Then we went to buy the necessities to watch a movie: large buckets of popcorn, large sodas, red vines, and an endless supply of candy. It was the only way to watch a movie.

After we found seats and got ourselves situated for the show, I propped up my legs against the metal bars and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

I heard Emmett talking to Rosalie. "Prepare to be amazed," he said as the lights dimmed.

"Yeah, yeah, pass the popcorn," Rosalie said in a bored tone.

I cuddled closer to Sean and made myself comfortable. I ended up with my legs on Sean's lap; it was far more comfortable than the metal bars.

"Comfortable?" Sean asked with a smile.

"Yes, very much, thank you," I said, returning his smile with a warm one of my own. I rested my head on Sean's shoulder, but I could feel someone staring at me. I looked up and I saw Edward's deep emerald eyes looking right at me. I looked away and tried my best to focus on the movie. Throughout the movie, though, I'd slyly look at him and look away quickly. Sometimes I caught him staring at me. Sometimes I didn't. I didn't know why I was preoccupied with looking at Edward. I internally berated myself for it. After a while, I consciously made an effort to focus on the movie. To my surprise, I actually liked it.

Alex was right, the graphics in this movie were amazing. The imagery was so beautiful but the movie was way too long for my taste. I really did enjoy it though.

Once the movie was over we all exited the theatre talking about the graphics and special effects. When we were outside, Emmett began bragging about his so called excellent movie-picking skills.

"What did I tell you? But, of course you guys always doubt me," Emmett said, shaking his head. "When will you learn?" he scoffed at us.

"Now, everyone repeat after me. '_Emmett I was wrong, the movie was one of the greatest I've see. You know how to choose great movies and never will I doubt your greatness_'."

He looked at us all eagerly awaiting us to sing his praises, but was met by our annoyed and/or blank stares.

"Emmett, honey, don't push it," Rosalie said, giggling as she pinched his cheeks.

It was late already, and there wasn't time to eat out so Emmett dropped us off at our apartment, and Sean and I headed up for some much needed sleep.

The next day after work I asked Alice if I could borrow her car to pay a visit to Charlie. I'd been here only for over a week already and I needed to see him. I should've gone to see him the minute I arrived but I was too scared to go. I thought it'd be better if I did this alone and brought Sean another day.

Driving in Alice's Porsche through the streets of Forks, an immense amount of guilt washed through me. I had been the worst daughter on the face of the planet. I left Charlie by himself for four years. What kind of daughter does that? Of course I still talked to Charlie on a regular day basis. He'd always call to check up on me even if it was only for five minutes every day.

I knew Charlie understood when I told him I had to leave all those years ago but it didn't make that decision any easier. I ran away from home because it was the only thing I knew how to do. Now I was back I had to face the mess I left behind. I called Charlie earlier and let him know that I was planning a visit this afternoon.

I could feel my sweaty palms against the steering wheel as I pulled up the driveway. The house looked exactly the same and that was to be expected. Charlie had kept the house the same ever since he and my mom bought it. I could imagine Charlie sitting in the living room with a beer in his hands watching a football game. The house would be filled with empty pizza boxes and empty cartons that were once filled with Chinese food.

I somehow managed to get out of the car and knock on the front door. I took deep breaths with each step I heard coming closer to the door. The door swung open revealing an older Charlie than I remembered. He still looked like my dad, just older and grey hairs beginning to grow.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted him cheerfully.

"Bells, I didn't think you'd make it," Charlie said.

"Of course. I said I'd come."

"Come in," Charlie said, ushering me in. "Sorry it's such a mess. I haven't had the time to clean."

"Don't worry about it, Dad, my apartment is scary looking too. I still have things to unpack," I said.

A new wave of guilt washed through me as I looked around this place. It was just as I expected, the TV was on the football channel, empty pizza boxes were lying everywhere. I should have been here all these years to take care of my dad. I couldn't even find the strength to stay for him. I just ran away. I had to control the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Are you hungry? I have leftover pizza I could reheat," he offered.

I smiled and shook my head. "How about I cook us some real food? When was the last time you had a home cooked dinner?"

"Are you sure, Bells? You just got here," he asked warily.

"Don't worry, Dad, I don't mind. Enjoy the football game, and I'll call you when dinner is ready," I told him.

I walked into the kitchen and was not surprised to find nothing but cases of beer, a pizza box and ketchup. How on earth did Charlie survive without me?

I walked to the living room where Charlie was. "How on earth do you survive on beer and ketchup?" I reprimanded.

Charlie looked up and smiled sheepishly at me. "Don't worry about me, Bells. I eat just fine."

"Well, I'm going to the store since there is nothing edible in this house. I'll be back in a bit," I said and walked out the door and to the car.

That went better than I thought it was going to go. I didn't cry so that was a good thing. Driving down each street reminded me of the past, though, and right now the past was dangerous territory. I kept my eyes focused on going to the store and buying food for Charlie and me.

I quickly walked inside the store, grabbed a basket and went to find the ingredients to making lasagna. I had most of the ingredients and the basket was beginning to get heavy and in Bella fashion I tripped releasing all of the contents in the basket.

"Oh shit," I cried.

I stood on my knees while I quickly tried to gather the items without attracting anymore attention to myself.

I heard a sweet laughter followed by a soft voice. "Bella, you never change do you?"

I blushed a bright shade of red as I looked up to see who the voice belonged to. I nearly fell over when I saw Nessie standing right in front of me.

"Nessie? Is that you? Oh my goodness what are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Nessie responded as she wrapped her arms around me. I embraced her as tight as I could. It was so nice to see my old friend.

After we pulled apart she lightly punched my shoulder. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in Tucson."

"I was, but I had an amazing opportunity to work at the Seattle Times and I took it. I guess I forgot to tell you that," I said.

She placed her hand on her hips. "Yeah, it might have slipped your mind. Are you living here or in Seattle?"

"I live in Seattle. I'm just visiting Charlie," I said.

"Didn't you have a boyfriend?" she asked.

"I do have a boyfriend, and he lives with me in Seattle," I said.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you live with a boy and you didn't even bother telling me?" she asked, glaring at me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it was a big deal," I said, trying to wave if off.

"Honey, he moved states away to be with you. This is serious stuff."

I smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Well, I should head back. Jake is alone with the baby and I should get home and cook some food for my men," Nessie said, giving me another hug. "Promise you'll stop by soon."

"I promise I will," I said and waved good-bye as she walked off.

As I paid for my groceries, I couldn't help but smile. I was glad I had a chance to run into Nessie today. I'd met Nessie years ago with Edward. Though she was a few years older than me, we were the best of friends. With the help of Edward, we played cupid and introduced Jacob to Nessie. Jacob was like my older brother and I knew Nessie would be good for him. While Edward and I weren't right for each other back then, we'd managed to hook up two people who were. We could be proud of that accomplishment.

I arrived back at the house and began to cook for Charlie and me. I made a simple steak with a baked potato and vegetables, since I doubted Charlie was getting his daily recommendation of fruits and veggies. After we finished dinner I cleaned up the house.

"Bells, you don't need to clean up after me. It's fine," he said.

"Dad, I really don't mind."

He smiled at me. I knew he appreciated it, and really, it was the least I could do. "Thanks, Bells."

After I finished cleaning up I sat and watched football with Charlie. I had no idea what was going on, but it was nice finally spending time with Charlie. I looked at the time and it was getting late, time for me to head back home.

Charlie dropped a set of keys at the palms of my hand. I looked up at him in surprise. These were the keys to my old red truck. I thought he'd gotten rid of that thing.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Take the truck. It's always been yours," Charlie said.

I could feel the pricks of tears in my eyes. That was so sweet of him to save it for me all this time. "Thank you, Daddy. I have to come back and pick it up later. I have Alice's car right now."

He placed his hand on my shoulder. "Good to see you, Bells. Be sure to come back and visit your old man."

He never was good with affection but I understood. I was a lot like him.

"I'll visit as soon as I can. I promise."

I sat in the Porsche and rolled the window down. "Bye, Dad. I love you."

Charlie smiled. "I love you too, kid."

I pulled out of the driveway and headed back to Seattle. During the drive, I finally let the pool of tears fall that I'd been holding in, not only tonight, but for all these years that I'd been away from Charlie. I left without a care in world. I was too busy trying not to lose myself in my relationship with Edward that not once did I ever stop to think about Charlie. I left without looking back twice, and I hated myself for it. I cried for all the pain I caused to the one man that was always there for me. Sobs shook through my entire body and I cried the entire way home.

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**There you have it. I am really sorry for the wait. I promise next chapter will not take that long. I hope you liked it and I hope you review. You can yell at me all you want. :)**


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